Summary

To achieve sustainable development and the Global Sustainability Goals (SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals) a socio-ecological transformation of the economy and society is indispensable. Despite all the challenges involved with it, the necessary transformation is not an unattainable utopia, but a realistic option for the future. By means of central fields of action, the study identifies obstacles that impede the necessary changes. On this basis, the study identifies parameters that need to be actively adjusted to ensure that the urgently needed socio-ecological transformation can succeed.

An energy transition in which all countries would phase out coal combustion would bring the world significantly closer to the emissions target of limiting the global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the mining and burning of coal often not only constitute a burden for the local natural and cultural landscape, but also put a strain on public health in many places. In fact, coal is only a supposedly cost-effective source of energy as long as the ecological and social follow-up costs are passed on to others. The example of coal use also clearly shows the danger of long-term path dependencies. Countries such as China, which rely heavily on coal for their energy supply, have further increased their investments in this particularly climate-damaging form of energy production in the wake of the pandemic. For poorer countries, high finance costs inhibit the expansion of renewable energies precisely where they would be particularly necessary and effective. This hinders technological innovation and the development of a decentralized, sustainable energy supply.

The example of the current shifts in consumption and mobility shows how existing structures still promote the waste of scarce resources, environmentally harmful production methods and unfair working and trading conditions. As long as people define themselves primarily in terms of consumption and strive for constant growth in prosperity and status, technological changes alone will not be enough. Particularly motorized private transport shows that a genuine mobility revolution must go far beyond alternative drive technologies and can only succeed if it is accompanied by a shift in consumption and does not neglect cultural factors. For example, we need to ask whether living, working, vacationing or spending leisure time really need to be linked to constantly growing mobility requirements. How can more efficient technologies be combined with a culture of moderation (sufficiency) in order to provide effective incentives for more shared mobility services, longer product lifetimes and comprehensive recycling of the resources used? 

The example of an agricultural turnaround, which encompasses agriculture, food production and diets, illustrates not only problematic incentives but also the persistence of partly unconscious behavioral routines. Far too often, competition is fought here at the expense of the weakest, especially nature, animal welfare, human health or precarious employed workers. These routines are not easy to change – especially when they are supported by socio-cultural norms and reinforced by a lack of national and international cooperation and solidarity

A positive perspective for sustainable development can serve as a motivating and guiding force to move people and societies to profound changes. That is why the socio-ecological transformation of the economy and society aims to ensure that all people can live well now and in the future while respecting planetary boundaries: To do so, they must be able to adequately meet their basic needs. Moreover, they need fair scopes of action and opportunities for participation, as well as decision-making processes that are equitable and inclusive. Studies show that, with suitable and rapid structural reforms, this is possible without major reductions in quality of life and losses of welfare. 

Against the backdrop of the above-mentioned obstacles, key levers (or “adjustment screws”) are defined. These can significantly promote the necessary socio-ecological transformation if they are jointly considered and addressed in their interdependencies. Since not all consequences can be foreseen, the reforms must be designed as a continuous learning process. Immediate adjustments are urgently needed. 

1. Creation of a regulatory framework that promotes innovation and the common good

The basis for the socio-ecological transformation is a regulatory framework that creates incentives for social and technological innovations conducive to the common good. Ingrained routines of action must be changed. Political and economic "free riders" who gain short-term advantages at the expense of the socially weaker, future generations or the environment must be put in their place by changing the framework conditions. Only then will it be possible to ensure fair pricing of environmental and resource consumption based on the polluter-pays principle, social balance and civic participation. 

In order to promote the common good and advance social and technological innovations, we need not only courageous investments in education, infrastructure and public services, but also innovative policy instruments, appropriate monitoring and participation opportunities for the civil society, as well as more international cooperation and solidarity. Establishing sustainable technologies and incentive structures usually requires a longer start-up period and good coordination before they can work together effectively at national and international level.

This is clearly illustrated by the example of the pricing of climate-damaging emissions: Following the introduction of EU emissions trading, it is now important to quickly set quantities and where possible also prices on the basis of scientific data and independently of day-to-day political business, and to also subject previously unrecorded emissions (traffic, buildings) to CO2 pricing. With regard to global pricing, multilateral agreements on minimum CO2 prices, supplemented by transfers for investments in renewable energies, are recommended. In particular, poorer countries, which have the greatest need for investment and the most cost-effective application potential for renewable energies, must be enabled to comprehensively apply these technologies and to independently develop and refine them through cooperative partnership. In the sense of an equitable burden-sharing, governments, companies and financial institutions in wealthy countries should make a far greater contribution to the fight against poverty and climate change through technology and financing support. 

2. Fair distribution of burdens and of new opportunities

Sustainable development is a question of justice. In view of the distributional conflicts described in the study, an honest transformation policy is always also a policy of fair distribution of burdens that also open up new opportunities for action for all those involved. To this end, it is necessary to involve those affected by the various distribution conflicts in change processes and to hold them responsible. The so-called "stranded assets" play an increasingly important role in this. Those who for example owe their prosperity to the possession of fossil resources or the use of technologies that are no longer up to date cannot simply reject restrictions in their previous business model as "cold expropriation," but have a special responsibility to participate constructively in innovations and reforms that promote the common good.

Those who want to shape the transformation must also identify the associated power issues in order to be able to successfully determine and overcome barriers and counterforces. In order not to be paralyzed by the inevitable distribution conflicts, it is helpful to communicate to the affected interest groups at an early stage that, under the right conditions and with an appropriate social compensation, the restrictions are not only bearable, but also open up new perspectives that should be distributed fairly. 

3. Promotion of societal support through transparency and participation

A lack of political design and communication in dealing with the aforementioned distributional conflicts contributes to the loss of trust in transparency and participation (two basic promises of the democratic state). Political populism profits from fears of (material or idealistic) loss. It therefore deliberately reinforces these fears by blaming responsibility for complex problems and thus also the individual's own responsibility to global enemy images. In this way, political populism offers temptingly simple, often nationalistic answers.

The study sees three steps as the answer to this loss of trust: first, to acknowledge this shock or fear; second, to improve opportunities for information, codetermination and participation; and third, to expose populist instrumentalization, which reinforces this loss of trust for its own benefit and has no interest in constructive solutions. Therefore, the contradictory attitudes of right-wing populism with regard to climate change must be exposed and concrete transformation projects must be designed as participatory as possible. Adequate "education for sustainable development" that awakens a desire for change and conveys a sense of achievement is not only an effective means of combating populism, but also strengthens the ability and willingness of future generations of politicians to work together multilaterally, rule-based and in close cooperative partnership with civil society.

4. Acknowledging the cultural dimension of transformation

The cultural dimension of change is often neglected in reform proposals and is therefore easily hijacked by populist movements. Populists like to give the impression that they are preserving religious or cultural traditions. In fact, however, they often betray the values that underlie these traditions. Those who want to advance the socio-ecological transformation must value the "cultural fabric of meaning," which often changes only slowly and is thus inert, but also sustainable. Often, lifestyles and consumption patterns initially change in "niches"; it is important to perceive them sensitively and ask: Why did these "niche-like" changes occur, what factors favored them - and what can be learned from them for the design of structural enabling and incentive conditions to spread them beyond the niche? 

The credibility of the Church, both vis-à-vis its own believers and as an actor in society as a whole, depends essentially on its ability to act coherently. With regard to the socio-ecological transformation, this means that demands for change, for the preservation of creation and for global justice can only be voiced credibly and effectively if they are accompanied by constant efforts to live by these values. Knowledge of the above-mentioned levers of successful change should therefore be increasingly applied within the entire sphere of influence and responsibility of the church. If this succeeds, the Catholic Church as a universal church can contribute not only its material and structural assets, but also its specific potential as a community of faith to the overall societal process of change: its advocacy for the vulnerable and marginalized, traditions of right balance and of universal justice, a holistic understanding of quality of life, and a spirituality that carries through periods of thirst, seeks common ground, and conveys hope.

In order to implement this potential even more stringently, the study recommends better organizational anchoring for a coherent sustainability strategy in all German dioceses. In facility management, a comprehensive switch to renewable energies is necessary. The gradual conversion of all heating systems, the use of ecological building materials and a fast switch to green electricity for all church properties should be a matter of course. In addition, the tried-and-tested principle of partly renting out church properties below local market prices should be strengthened in order to promote certain types of housing (e.g., multigenerational houses) and a broad mix of different social and income milieus. There is also great potential in consistently aligning church procurement with social-ecological criteria. This includes vehicle fleets and guidelines for reimbursable business trips as well as church kitchens, where more whole foods, "bio-regio" and "fair trade" should be the rule. In the area of land-management, as in asset management it has to be clarified how far the sustainability criteria already introduced in many places can be further standardized and improved. This poses a substantial challenge in view of the large number of different church legal entities. Such a discussion would send out a signal to society as a whole if it were possible to discuss the associated distribution conflicts at an early stage with all those affected and to find a common regulation on the basis of shared values.

In particular the debate on responsible population policy and family planning continues to gain urgency in the global context, as all social, economic and ecological SDGs are unlikely to be achieved at the same time given rapidly growing populations in many poorer countries.   
Often it was and still is grassroots democratic groups and associations that have done pioneering work for future issues such as active environmental protection, fair trade or sustainable investments, both within the church and in society as a whole, and that continue to promote these concerns on a broad scale. In view of the structural crisis of the institutionalized church, these groups represent a resource whose importance is likely to increase significantly in the coming years.