Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher'sspeech on the occasion of his acceptance of the 1991 Ecological Eagleat Nörvenich Castle
The preservation of life's essentials on our smallblue planet is, together with the struggle against poverty, thecentral task of mankind as we approach the third millennium. Asfellow inhabitants, we all share the responsibility for keeping theearth livable for future generations. We are all obligated,therefore, to make an active contribution to the protection of ourenvironment. Environmental protection is a communityresponsibility.
The International Committee Artists for Ecology isplaying its part in this responsibility. For many years, its membershave been winning greater recognition by their efforts to increasepublic awareness of environmental problems. Throughout historyartists have acted as the conscience of their contemporaries.Today--and this shows their initiative--it is nodifferent.
I feel honored, Ms. Werner, to receive this prizefrom your hands. Your involvement sets an example for others. Wepoliticians could learn something from the charming and eloquentmanner in which you solicit support for this cause. It isparticularly on this issue of environmental protection thatpoliticians must be nudged repeatedly by others; as a politician Icannot deny this.
Since my term as Secretary of the Interior, when,in 1971, I presented the first environmental protection program tothe federal government, I have come to understand that ecologicalissues must be a priority in any kind of responsible political agendafor the future. Included in this political responsibility is apolitician's capacity for learning, his candor, and his willingnessto tackle the most urgent problems of our time, in spite of partyopposition.
One such problem is man's continuous destructionof nature. When a rain forest the size of a football field disappearsevery second, when 25 billion tons of fertile soil are lost everyyear, when 20 million people are threatened by flooding as a resultof the greenhouse effect, then it must be obvious to all of us thatcreation itself is threatened with extinction. This global problemconcerns all of us and demands a thorough examination of our thoughtsand actions.
Even as Secretary of the Interior I pleaded forprotection of the environment to be established by law. This issue ofsurvival must be embedded in the constitution so that all governmentdecisions are oriented toward this goal.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, this willrequire greater international cooperation. We must draw up effectiveregulations which have worldwide support. This is one of the mostimportant tasks of a new, global government policy. The UnitedNations must tackle it with renewed vigor.
There are already examples of decisive measurestaken by the Community of Nations. The one which is uppermost in mymind is the 1987 Montreal Report on the protection of the ozonelayer. Similarly, an agreement must be reached on the limit of carbondioxide emissions, which contribute significantly to the greenhouseeffect. The German government has already settled on a 25-30%reduction as a goal for the year 2005.
Any country wishing to contribute to worldwideenvironmental protection, must set an example at home. This year atthe General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, I suggestedthat sanctions could be imposed on those countries which do not abideby the basic principles of environmental safety. Just as we need aninternational court of law to prosecute those who commit genocide, sotoo could we bring to justice those who commit crimes against theenvironment. The oil fires which blackened the skies above Kuwaithave made clear that we now stand upon the threshold of a newdimension of environmental crime. The United Nations, therefore, mustdo something if our hopes for a new world order of respect for natureand mankind is not to remain an illusion. We must not capitulate,either nationally or from a European perspective, to this ecologicalchallenge.
Forty years of socialism in action have also leftbehind a devastating ecological legacy. An arrogant power machine,together with an economic system that could not even make an accurateassessment of the actual costs of production, systematically deceivedthe public and itself over the extent and seriousness of the harmdone to the environment and to the people's health, consequenceswhich are just now becoming clear.
An environmental cleanup, as part of thecooperative effort to revitalize the eastern portion of Germany,requires billions. Without such a cleanup, economic recovery cannotcontinue and our efforts to achieve a uniform standard of livingthroughout Germany will not succeed.
The collapse of the old GDR and the reforms incentral and eastern Europe make possible for the first time thechance for a united European ecological strategy. It is urgent thatEurope now make a unified effort to turn the lands within its bordersinto a common environmentally-protected area.
It is important, therefore, that the EuropeanEnvironmental Protection Agency, recently formed in Brussels, be ableto begin its work soon, and that the controversy over its locationfinally be brought to an end.
The new German states also need their owninstitutions which are capable of tackling ecological problemsefficiently. The foundation of a large ecological research facilityin Keipzig is an important step towards this goal.
The principle of cause and effect must be firmlyestablished in the economic system of the leading trade nations.Whoever claims the scarce environmental resources at the expense ofothers, must pay, even if they live in a completely different area orcountry.
Otherwise not only those involved in wastedisposal, but also industries and energy producers, will engage in acompetition of "environmental dumping," which no one wants, let alonewill take responsibility for.
In light of our technical and financialsuperiority, the responsibility of the leading industrial nationstowards the developing countries includes the duty to help andsupport these people in their efforts to cope with their ownecological problems. This is why the German government has taken theinitiative in associating environmental protection with a reductionof debt, as well as creating a fund in the World Bank forenvironmental projects.
The German government also plays a leading role inthe protection of the tropical rain forests. Over and above theconsiderable bilateral relief measures, the German governmentcontributed 300 million marks in 1991, as in the previous year, tohelp finance the rescue of the tropical rain forests.
Progress and ecology must be inseparable. Wherepeople are in need, there it will invariably turn out that nature isalso in need. This is why environmental protection must go hand inhand with development and population policies. This is also thesubject of the preparations for the 1992 "Ecology and Progress"conference of the United Nations in Brazil.
In Madrid, after a long struggle, there hasfinally been a breakthrough in the fight to protect the Antarctic, topreserve the "white continent," in the form of an ecologicalprotocol. To preserve our "blue planet," we now need a similar globalconsensus, supplemented by a concrete plan of action and bindinginternational agreement, at least in the areas of climate control andthe preservation of species.
At the conference in Madrid, Germany showed itselfto have taken the lead as an ecologically conscious nation. Iconsider it my personal responsibility to see that ecological issuescontinue to take priority in the foreign policy of a larger, unitedGermany.
Here above all--in this task of peace, rather thanin the military realm which some mistakenly keep pushing to thefore--our growing responsibility must prove itself worldwide. Iregard the bestowal of the 1991 Ecological Eagle as an obligation togive my utmost support to this important task in thefuture.
Thank you.
Translated from the German by LynneKvinnesland