Enhancing Science Partnerships for Innovation and Sustainable Development

Two members of the German Cabinet opened the Green Economy Conference on 4 September: Annette Schavan, the Federal Minister of Education and Research, and Peter Altmaier, head of the Environmental Ministry, welcomed around 400 attendees to the eWerk in Berlin.

The green economy was also a central topic at the Rio+20 environmental summit in June 2012. But what's going to happen next? The green economy is pre-eminently about one thing: an opportunity for efficient development, anti-poverty measures and environmental protection around the world – but in particular for Germany. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) refers to Germany as the "laboratory for green growth". How can the green economy generate stimuli for sustainable growth? Which fields of innovation should it put its faith in? What kind of framework will accelerate its implementation?

As well as the German Federal Ministers Ms Schavan and Mr Altmaier, prominent speakers from the fields of business, science and non-governmental organisations were guests at the event, including Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), Peter Höppe of the insurance company Munich Re, Co-Chairman of Finanzforum: Klimawandel ("financial forum climate change"), and Ottmar Edenhofer, Vice-Director und Chief Economist at the PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research).

As well as the current Year of Science PROJECT EARTH: OUR FUTURE, the German-South African Year of Science 2012/2013 concerns itself with the overall topic of climate change. As part of an ideas competition, for example, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the South African partner ministry, the Department for Science and Technology (DST), have selected 19 research initiatives on the impact of climate change as being worthy of support and funding.

The programme and the presentations by the speakers can be found on the FONA website.