100 participants discuss environmental justice in Berlin

How can environmental justice be anchored and implemented as a guideline for ecological and social neighbourhood development in Berlin’s districts and at Senate level? In other words, how can the best possible quality of life and environment be created for all residents of the capital? This question was the focus of the congress “Environmental Justice in Berlin – From Concept to Practice”, which UfU organized together with BUND Berlin and the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district office on 30/31 January. At present, health-related environmental pollution such as noise or air pollution is usually much higher in socially disadvantaged areas of the capital than in other parts of the city. People there therefore suffer from multiple burdens that need to be reduced. However, this is a complex task in which a wide variety of players have to pull together – across a range of different subject areas. The high level of interest in the event showed that there is a great need for change. All the seats in the historic Golden Hall of Schöneberg Town Hall were filled, with some people finding standing room only. At the beginning, Prof. Dr. Hornberg, Chairwoman of the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), introduced the participants to the topic of environmental justice. As a specialist in hygiene and environmental medicine, she drew an interesting connection to the topic of health. With the statement “A healthy person is one who sees every day as a new opportunity!”, she also made it clear that health is more than just the absence of illness. Maintaining and promoting this through good environmental conditions should be the ultimate goal. Dr. Klimeczek then turned the focus to Berlin and presented the capital’s environmental justice concept, which is unique in Germany. It is based on a small-scale environmental impact analysis that provides information on the unequal distribution of environmental pollution in the areas of noise, air pollution, bioclimatic pollution, green space supply, urban structure and real use. This data was combined with social and other health statistics. The resulting environmental justice maps make the multiple burdens of certain neighborhoods and thus the need for action very clear. At the same time, however, in many areas the current situation is no longer up to date. An important challenge in the near future will be to revise some indicators and introduce continuous monitoring so that the concept with the map representations continues to be a reliable basis for the discourse on environmental justice in Berlin. The participants then had the opportunity to discuss specific issues relating to environmental justice in four parallel specialist forums. While one group dealt with health and social aspects, another forum explored the question of how environmental justice can be promoted at district level. A third forum focused on indicators and monitoring, while the fourth group exchanged experiences from other cities. The discussion in all specialist forums was stimulated by impulse contributions from various experts.

At the end of the first day of the congress, participants were greeted by a new exhibition, which was completed for the event and presents the topic of environmental justice on 19 large panels. In future, this exhibition will go on tour to reach even more people. The second day of the event began with two presentations that showed which funding programs (such as urban development funding or the Berlin Program for Sustainable Development – BENE) can support and specifically promote environmental justice. The presentations were given by Sören Bott from the Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing and André Butz from Beratungs- und Service Gesellschaft Umwelt. There was then a lively exchange at the “Market of environmentally friendly opportunities”. Various actors from research and practice who are already working on the topic of environmental justice presented themselves here. Over coffee and tea, ideas and contacts were diligently exchanged to make Berlin and other cities more environmentally friendly in the future. The congress concluded with a round of interviews with Ms. Heiß, District Councillor of Tempelhof-Schönberg, Ms. Schulz-Hüskes from the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection and Tilmann Heuser, Managing Director of BUND Berlin. During this review of the congress and simultaneous outlook, it became clear where the most important needs for action for Berlin lie in the future, what challenges exist and what real changes can be expected in the near future.

Supported by:

Photos: Larissa Donges