3. Friends
Seri and ... (News about co-operation and partnerships)

4. Selected publications
Book reviews and announcements from SERI members and related writers and publishers

5. Links + Other: News about other activities, hints and advice on dates, workshops etc.

6. Going on in Vienna

Contents

1. SERI-News
General news from SERI and SERI members

SERI statement of Barcelona indicators

On the occasion of the Spring Meeting of the European Council in Barcelona (15.-16. March 2002), where the publication of structural- and sustainability indicators was a highlight, SERI also produced a statement concerning this process.
On one hand, the paper "Post Barcelona - beyond Barcelona" appreciates the coordination of the various dimensions of sustainability as a positive step towards the right direction. On the other hand, however, the environmental chapter, has merely been added to the existing list of structural indicators. There is neither evidence for examination of interaction of individual objectives nor have mutual reinforcements been identified.
SERI therefore urges for important technical improvements within the existing structure in a "Post Barcelona Process".
Improvements in the medium- and long term, however, can only be achieved through the replacement of the classification of structural indicators by a systematic structure, derived from the concept of sustainability.
Such systematic set of indicators would consider an additional institutional dimension next to the economic, environmental and social dimension, which would consider the essential "rules of the game" of political decisions and their origins.

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SERI presented positions on sustainability measurement for Europe

From February 11th to 14th in Uppasaly, the Baltic University Program held a workshop for its members: academics from Sweden, Finland, Russia, Belorussia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Denmark and Norway.
Joachim H. Spangenberg was invited to give an overview on how to measure sustainability. Besides the broad overview he presented a brief SERI paper on sustainability measurement for Europe, including a preliminary set of integrated sustainability indicators for Europe.

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Joachim H. Spangenberg represented SERI at the German chancellery

A number of SERI researchers had participated in the "Work and Environment" research project 1998-2000, and SERI had been entrusted with the knowledge transfer from the project (together with DIW and WZB, Berlin). One highlight of this transfer process was the opportunity to present the research resultes to those in the German chancellery in charge of the national sustainability strategy on Feb. 5th.

Joachim H. Spangenberg, representing SERI pointed out that the current draft (www.dialog-nachhaltigkeit.de) was a major progress from an environmental point of view, including factor 4 and factor as a target and covering energy, land use and - rather implicitly - material flows.
However, as compared to the draft EU sustainability report for the Barcelona summit, a number of issues were missing, most of them concerning social aspects of sustainable development.

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News on Joachim H. Spangenberg

On Feb. 24th, Joachim H. Spangenberg was re-elected as council member of the German "Scientists Initiative - Responsibility for Peace and Sustainability", an association of natural scientists which is involved in a variety of international campaigns for peaceful conflict solution, disarmament, sustainable development and international justice.

For more information (in German only) see www.natwiss.de,
for the international network see www.inesglobal.org.

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Stefan Giljum in Keele (U.K.)

From March to June 2002, SERI member Stefan Giljum is working at the "School of Politics, International Relations and the Environment (SPIRE)" at the University of Keele, U.K. with a Marie Curie Fellowship, granted by the European Union.
At SPIRE he will continue his Ph.D. research on material flow analysis of international trade relations.

For more information on the Marie Curie Programme in Keele see
www.keele.ac.uk/depts/spire/Research/cres/marie_curie/marie_curie_page.htm
or contact Stefan Giljum

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Ines Oman joined the MCDA European Working Group meeting

The 55th meeting of the European Working Group on Multicriteria Aid for Decisions was held from 14th to 16th March 2002 at the UFZ in Leipzig, under the topic "Nature in and Nature of MCDA".
It was organised by Dr. Felix Rauschmayer and Dr. Martin Drechsler from the UFZ.
SERI member Ines Omann attended this meeting and chaired one session dealing with environmental problems and MCDA.

For further information about the working group and/or the meeting, surf to:
http://pinus.oesa.ufz.de/mcda55/ or contact: [email protected].

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2. Project-Overview
News from our projects, our other work and new research fields

AIRP-SD website now online

In the course of our oingoing EU project AIRP-SD (Adaptive Integration of Research and Policy for Sustainable Development), and with the aim of reaching a wide range of the general public as well as creating a general base for information, a project-related website has been installed (www.airp-sd.net).
Next to general project descriptions (main objectives, importance of the project, ideas behind the project and project plan), there is a detailed description of the 6 project partners.
Furthermore, Links to project-related websites have been installed as well as the possibility for the general public to express opinions and criticise.
In addition, the possibility is offered to load down interim reports and "Milestones" giving an idea of the project's progress, as soon as they have been produced.
Finally, there is a side reserved to a specific "Stakeholder Board" set up for the project: the members of this board can communicate on this side and have access to specific project-related documents.

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New project on free/fair trade

Under commission of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (Berlin) SERI is going to write a background paper and developing a concept for a conference with the working title 'Free Trade - Fair Trade'. Contents of the paper will be the relationships of globalisation processes - especially trade - and sustainable development with a focus on different positions and policy perspectives.

For more information contact: Mark Hammer at: [email protected]

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ESEE research network

SERI helps to organize a process to include Ecological Economics research themes in the 6th Framework Program of the EU.
The main task is to make sure, that the research themes of Ecological Economics are included in the 6th Framework Program of the EU and to position Ecological Economics as an important scientific community in Europe. Whereas the first calls for the projects will be out in about one year, the time to lobby for our themes to be included in the program is now. The EC invites Expressions of Interest to be sent until June 2002.

For more details see https://www.seri.at/esee-rn/

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3. Friends
Seri and ... (News about co-operation and partnerships)

SERI at ISEE 2002

A considerable number of SERI Members attended the ISEE 2002 Conference in Sousse/Tunisia early March and gave presentations, chaired sessions and renewed, expanded contacts of the network. The members attending were Sigrid Stagl, Joachim H. Spangenberg, Ines Omann, Stefan Giljum, Roman Mesicek, Mark Hammer and Reinhard Madlener.

SERI had organised two sessions on "Global (in)equality in social and material terms".
The first of the two sessions, entitled "Environmental Space, Economic Development and Material Flows: Metaeconomic Reflections and Empirical Observations" attracted a large number of conference participants and gave insights to SERIs empirical work in the field of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as well as SERIs ongoing research on social sustainability issues. Presentations were given by Stefan Giljum, Mark Hammer, Joachim H. Spangenberg and Ines Omann.
The second session was entitled "Rebound Effects, Global Development and the Digital Divide" and gave room for discussion on Rebound Effects in respect to time and material resources. It was chaired by Mathias Binswanger (EMPA) Switzerland, and included presentations by himself, Fabio Musmeci (ENEA) and Roman Mesicek (SERI).

More information, abstracts, papers and presentations are available at: http://ww.seri.at/isee2002.

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4. Selected publications
Book reviews and announcements from SERI members and related writers and publishers

New publication: Special Issue on Sustainability - ed. by Friedrich Hinterberger: published in the journal "Population and Environment" 23(2), Nov 2001

The concept of "Total material flows" was developed over the last decades in parallel by various research and policy institutions in order to map the environmental impact potential from the micro level of an economy up to its macro level. On the micro level, "mips" denotes the total material input per unit of service - a production/consumption-related indicator, and a concept widely used today in business practice and environmental impact assessment.
This special issue of the journal comprises a variety of recent investigations on the macroeconomic mater/energy throughput through industrialized economies and its relation to conventional economic variables, such as GDP or employment.

The issue comprises 5 papers which were first presented at the Biannual meeting 2000 of the European Society for Ecological Economics, held in Vienna.

Authors include Jeroen van den Bergh, Pentti Malsaka, as well as SERI members Joachim Spangenberg, Aldo Femia and Fred Luks.

For more information on the journal click below:
http://ipsapp008.lwwonline.com/ips/frames/frames.asp?J=5089.

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New paper by Joachim H. Spangenberg and Sylvia Lorek:

"Environmentally Sustainable Household Consumption - From Aggregate Environmental Pressures to Indicators for Priority Fields of Action."

The paper analyses the current way of assessing the environmental impact of households and finds it arbitrary, the resulting information meaningless at best, disinforming at worst.
A clear analysis identifies ten consumption clusters and analyses them regarding their environmental relevance and the influence households have. Only in three significant clusters households can really make a difference: Housing, nutrition and mobility. For these indicators are derived which can help households monitor their performance as well as provide hints for policy makers for identifying effective starting points for policy action.
In this paper additionally Catherine Rubbens, former UNDESA, explains the state of the art of UN consumption indicators, and the authors elaborate on how the research approach could contribute to the work of the UN.

The paper is published as Wuppertal Paper No. 117 and can be downloaded as pdf-file from http://www.wupperinst.org/Publikationen/wp.html.

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Publications by Joachim H. Spangenberg:

A paper on "Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften und Wachstum" (Sustainable economy and growth) by Joachim H. Spangenberg has been published in Utopie kreativ 136, February 2002, pp. 131-144.

Unfortunately only in German so far, it points out the criteria a really sustainable growth must meet: reconciliation with reduced social and environmental pressures. Per capita production and resource productivity are the key elements in assessing the sustainability of a growth pattern. The results for the current development path are negative: we are not (yet) on the long road towards sustainability.

He also collaborated in the "Memorandum für einen Politikwechsel" (Memorandum for a policy change), published by VSA Publ., 46 p., December 2001.

Environmentalists, trade unionists, citizens rights activists, the peace and the solidarity movement have joined forces in Germany to call for a change of the predominant neoliberal policy pattern, shared by the governing Social Democrats and Greens on the one hand and the opposition of liberals and conservatives on the other. In six projects it outlines a policy for social justice, full employment, peace, international solidarity and environment protection.

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New publication:
"Where Are We Going? Where Do We Want To Be? How Do We Get There?"
Visions and Roadmaps for Sustainable Development in a Networked Knowledge Society

Report of a Workshop Co-Chaired by the Presidents of the Brussels EU-Chapter of the Club of Rome and the "Factor 10 Institute"

The EU Member States agreed in June 2001 to a common strategy for sustainable development as an integral part of the EU strategy for transition to a knowledge economy; with sustainable development at the heart of integrated policies for growth, employment, social cohesion and the environment. In addition, the agreement in July 2001 on the Kyoto protocol for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and the commitment of the EU Member States to ratify the protocol, now makes practical measures for resource-use reductions essential and urgent.

However, sustainability is not a question of the environment alone.
Social, cultural and economic sustainability are also at stake.
Incremental and separate approaches have led to improvements, but major long-term progress toward sustainability can only be achieved in a systemic approach. However, too little is yet known about the systemic relationships between the different dimensions of sustainable development; about the dynamics of a service-oriented networked knowledge society and its relationship to sustainable development. A much larger and sustained research effort is needed to underpin policies for approaching sustainability with scientific data and information. To stimulate this research, and to help translate national and international commitments and policy objectives into reality requires that we have a description of where we want to be in 30 years - we need a "target scenario" or a "landing place". We must then focus our attention on ways and means for getting there and the role of Europe in the process.

You find this report for download in the publications section of SERI's Eco-Info-Society (EIS) Website at: www.seri.at/eis/.

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New publication by: Ministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz NRW; Landesumweltamt NRW; TAUW GmbH, Moers; sid GmbH, Wuppertal; Kit - Kech Informationstechnologien, Schwätzingen and WDL-EDL Dr. Michael Fröhlich, Köln.

"Entsorgungsatlas NRW - Statusbericht der Entsorgungsanlagen."

It gives an overview over the North Rhine-Westphalian disposal infrastructure (except of landfill, described in a second publication), the different ways of waste management and the first all including account of all waste categories of a German federal state after the revision of the German "Umweltstatistikgesetz".

Get your free copy at:
Ministerium für Umwelt und Naturschutz, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz NRW, D-40190 Düsseldorf, phone: +211 - 4566 - 0

Web: www.munlv.nrw.de

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New publication by: Andreas Busch et al. (Eds.):

"Zur Ökologisierung der Ökologie. Gedenkschrift mit jüngeren Beiträgen von Prof. Dr. Hermann BARTMANN zur Ökologischen Ökonomie."

Hermann Bartmann died on Christmas Eve 2000. This volume compiles his pieces of his unfinished text book on ecological economics with chapters on the fundamentals of ecological economics, monetary evaluation, ethics, growth as well as policy considerations from various heterodox theories such as post Keynesian full employment and international relations.

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5. Links + Other
News about other activities, hints and advice on dates, workshops etc.

Numeral Unit Spread Assessment Pedigree (NUSAP)
- Robust knowledge for Sustainability

NUSAP net is a open web community dedicated to uncertainty and quality in environmental assessment, with a special focus on the further development, application and dissemination of the NUSAP method.
It aims to serve as a platform for scientists, policymakers and the public involved in this field. The site is developped and maintained by Jeroen van der Sluijs from the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Department of Science Technology and Society, Utrecht University (The Netherlands).
Everyone can contribute articles, downloadable reports, weblinks etc. to this site as long as it is related to the subject. A team of editors will moderate contributions to the NUSAP net site.

Have a look at www.nusap.net.

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Advice for www.elearth.com - environmental information online center

ELearth is an useful and powerful online data center upon environment information, where people can browse, search and get the useful environment information in fast speed from anywhere in the world at any time. This portal is very automatic with full-scale database support. The modules can allow registered members to exchange their environment information with anyone in the world. Once be a member, you can add yourself in resource list, post category messages or post your career opportunities unlimitedly.
In addition, the advanced search engine can help the visitors to find what they want quickly and accurately.

To check out this online portal just click here: www.elearth.com

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The miniature earth

If we could turn the earth population into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have nowadays, it would be something like this:

Click here: www.luccaco.com/terra/terra.htm

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!!!PostDoc position in Lisbon!!!

Funded Post-Doc position at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon (or for a PhD student or possibly other with experience) to work in a team on Material Flow Accounting in portuguese regions and regional industrial ecosystems.

For more information please contact SERI member Francois Schneider: f[email protected] and/or Prof. Paul Ferrao at [email protected].

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Summer School on "Innovations toward sustainability"

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in its "RIW" research program on "Frameworks for Innovations towards sustainability", an International Summer School on "Innovation for Sustainable Development: Institutions, Incentives and Economic Policy" will be held at Seeon Monastery (www.kloster-seeon.de) in the vicinity of Munich, Germany, 7-11 September, 2002.
The summer school is organised by the Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental Economics at Heidelberg University, and by the Department of Economics, Rostock University, in cooperation with the Project Management Office for Environment and Climate of the BMBF.
The intention of the summer school is to bring together young researchers (still working on their PhDs or young postdocs) in economics or related fields of social and engineering sciences with established experts in the field. Experts include Giles Atkinson, Faye Duchin and Ger Klaassen.

Applications to Prof. Dr. Till Requate, email: [email protected].

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2nd International Congress Environment and Identity in the Mediterranean

July 3 5, 2002, Corte Corse (France)

Themes include Environment and society, Business and environment, Ecological economy, cultural identity and solidarity, Environment and employment, Human environment and identity, Didactics of minority languages, Physics and environment, Waste and pollution (transportation, sound nuisance), Food and environment, Management of natural landscapes and the forest.

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2002.

See http://www.univ-corse.fr/actu/identite_medit.htm for more details.

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6. Going on in Vienna

EnviroInfo Vienna 2002

Environmental Communication in the Information Society
16th International Symposium Environmental Informatics 2002
September 25-27, 2002, Technical University of Vienna, Austria

The upcoming conference EnviroInfo Vienna 2002 will cover the complete field of environmental communication, including computer net-works, the Internet, the media, mediation and face-to-face interaction. It focuses on informatics applications for the environment including the identification of pressures, the monitoring of environmental status and threats, the localisation of impacts from human activities and taking suitable responses for sanitation and prevention.

More Information at: http://enviroinfo.isep.at.

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SERI-Infomail 02/2002
Distributed by Jürgen Schäfer
Managing Editor, SERI-InfoMail
All Rights Reserved.
© SERI 2002 (Vienna / Essen)