Page - 686 - in Menschenrechte und Gerechtigkeit als bleibende Aufgaben - Beiträge aus Religion, Theologie, Ethik, Recht und Wirtschaft

© 2020, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783847111658 – ISBN E-Lib: 9783737011655 “Up to 80percent ofAmerica’s electronicwaste is exported to developing countries, whereenvironmentalandworkerprotectionlawsandenforcementare lessstrict. (…) Low-wageworkerswithoutprotectivegear,includingchildren,burncomponents,soak them in acid baths to separate small amounts of resalablematerials, breathe dioxin- filled smoke, anddisassemble lead- andmercury-ladenpartswith their hands. Con- taminated water is poured into lakes and rivers and contaminated solid waste is dumpedinhugepilesnearvillages,wheretoxinscontinuetoleakintothesoilandwater supply.”15 PopeFrancis’EncyclicalLetterLaudatosi’(2015)warnsstronglyoftheinjustice involvedintheexportof“solidwasteandtoxic liquids todevelopingcountries” (LS51).Francis calls fora radical turnaround,a“cultural revolution”basedon ecological conversion, in fact a “change of humanity” (LS 9& 13), of both policiesandlifestyles, fromunsustainableto“prophetic”andsustainable forms (LS222).HowcansuchaCopernicanrevolutiongetmomentum? 2. OnCircularEconomyandWaste (Resource)Hierarchy Currently prevailingmethods of resource, energy, andwastemanagement are still driven by linear end-of-pipe systems of production and consumption, throughwhichenergyandresourcesarewastedinconsistentlyandunjustly.One reason for this is that goods and services are deliveredwith a lack of proper accounting for the true costs of their social and ecological consequences (ex- ternalisation). To set out on a sensible and sustainable path of resource and energy use, the concept of “waste hierarchy” is necessary to follow.Waste hi- erarchyasnormativeprincipleprioritisesandprotectstheresourcesandhuman work inherent in resource streams. “The waste hierarchy establishes a priority order from prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling and energy recovery through to disposal, such as landfilling. This principle aims to encourage the options that deliver the best overall environmental outcome. Thewaywe collect andmanage ourwaste can lead either to high rates of recyclingand tovaluablematerials finding theirwayback into theeconomy,or toan inefficientsystemwheremost recyclablewasteends in landfillsor is incinerated,with potentiallyharmfulenvironmentalimpactsandsignificanteconomiclosses.Toachieve high levels of material recovery, it is essential to send long-term signals to public authorities,businessesand investors (…)”16 15 Margaret Robertson, Sustainability: Principles and Practice, London-New York 2014, pp. 276–277. 16 EUCommission, Closing the Loop: An EUAction Plan for the Circular Economy, Com- munication fromtheCommissionto theEuropeanParliament,TheCouncil,TheEuropean EconomicandSocialCommitteeandtheCommitteeof theRegions,BrusselsDecember2nd 2015,p. 8. FranzGassner686 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0