A key global societal aim for the 21st century must be sustainable development, according to Angela Merkel, member of the German Parliament and Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, She defines sustainable development as seeking "to reconcile environmental protection and development; it means nothing more than using resources no faster than they can regenerate themselves and releasing pollutants to no greater extent than natural resources can assimilate them".
The German government has chosen the socio-ecological market economy as a means of harmonizing production, consumption, industrial innovations and societal advancement in keeping with sustainable development. Science is critical to sustainable development in the following areas:
Energy use. We must advance our use of energy conserving practices and renewable energies and we must re-examine nuclear energy.
Closure of substance cycles. Environmental technology must be used to design environmentally friendly pathways for consumables through the production, distribution, consumption and disposal processes.
Environmentally compatible mobility. Efficient and alternative-fuel cars need to be developed, and automated traffic controls must be implemented.
Biotechnology. Biotechnology must be employed in the food production system and waste-treatment processes.
Sustainability seeks to optimize interactions among nature, society and the economy. Merkel points out that meeting these goals requires interdisciplinary approaches and strategies that cut across political lines. All areas of science and the political sector must work together under a common understanding of environmental ethics to ensure "protection of the natural foundation of life."
Reference
Merkel, Angela, 1998: The role of science in sustainable development. Science 281, 336-337.