Osnabruck. They want to bring the dialogue about central future questions to a wider social contract. They fear that the effect of energy usage and environmental impact will change the very basis of our existence irrevocably as it will cause considerable economic strain and social conflicts. The Alternative Nobel Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation (RLA) and the Winners of the German Environmental Award of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) want to discuss with further experts from peace-, development- and environmental research in Osnabruck, Bonn and Berlin from 16 – 19 September the key questions of a human coexistence. Energy - Resources – Peace - Challenges for a Sustainable Society" – is a matter of urgency for the founder of the Alternative Nobel Prize, Jakob von Uexküll, and its Laureates Bianca Jagger, ex-wife of Rolling Stones leader Mick Jagger, and Michael Succow, also member of the DBU Board of Advisors.

Rat race for energy resources and water endangers world peace

“The rapid price increase for fossil fuels and the dangerous onward climate change reveal that decisive action is badly needed in order to prevent a dramatically growth in endangering the human livelihood and the peaceful social life on earth sustainably”, emphasized DBU Secretary General Dr.-Ing. E. h. Fritz Brickwedde. One of the key questions was how to deal with the energetic and natural resources. Scientifically-based scenarios like the recent world climate report of the IPCC had showed that above all a growing competition for the access to oil, gas and coal as also water had to be regarded as a first-position risk factor for global stability. Brickwedde: "Politics aimed at environment, peace and development are no single options but closely interwoven fields. Here, a common task of science, state politics and civil society exists”.

Foundations act jointly on global problems

Against this background, the Deutsche Bundessstiftung Umwelt (DBU), , the Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung (DSF) and the Nordrhein-Westfälische Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklung and the Right Livelihood Foundation RLA had joined forces in order to create a forum aimed at analysing central risk areas and discussing global and local solutions. Target is to link different experts networks closely associated with the foundations. Brickwedde: "That are especially the Environmental Award Winners of the DBU and the Alternative Noble Laureates of the RLA. Different knowledge cultures are brought together, approaching the problems both from a hard technological and economic perspective as also see them in the soft light of human safety.”

RLA and DBU honor people for their answers to urgent questions of our time

Since 1993, the German Environmental Award honours people and their commitments and achievements that contributed decisively to the protection and the preservation of our environment. It also considers projects which promise well for the future criteria. The Alternative Nobel Prize is meant to honour people for rendering outstanding services in the areas environment, peace, disarmament, human rights, development, culture and spirituality, indigeneous people, consumer protection, education, health, energy and resource protection and to support them in finding and converting practicable solutions to the most urgent problems of our time.

Bianca Jagger takes part in the ‘Osnabrueck Peace Dialogue’

The cycle of events will start on Sunday, 16 September, in Osnabrueck. In the auditorium of the university the founder of the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’, Jakob von Uexküll, and the human rights activist Bianca Jagger will be discussing the questions of global challenges for earth and mankind within the scope of the ‘Osnabrueck Peace Dialogue’. Since 1986 the city and University of Osnabrueck organise these public lectures and discussions on the subject of promotion and keeping of peace.

Ernst-Ulrich von Weizsäcker about energy, resources and peace

Monday, 17th September, will focus on environmental protection. A forum will be the platform, and risk analyses and solution strategies from different perspectives shall be discussed at the Centre for Environmental Communication of the DBU in Osnabrueck. The main lecture ‘Energy, Resources, Peace - Challenges for a Global Peace Policy’ will be given by Ernst-Ulrich von Weizsäcker - President of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy until 2000 and since January 2006 Dean of the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Podium about energy safeness and crisis development

Part of the podium ‘Energy safeness in the 21st century - chances and hazards for strategies of sustainability and a global peace policy’ will be amongst others Aloys Wobben (Winner of the ‘German Environmental Award’ of the DBU), Raúl Montenegro, Argentinia (AN), Susanne Dröge (German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Christa Randzio-Plath (Association of German development non-governmental organisations), Peter Hennicke (Director of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy) and Utz Tillmann (BASF). The podium ‘Global instability because of shortage in natural resources? Possible crisis solutions and requirements for their sustainable regulation will be staffed with Pat Mooney, Canada (AN), Denis Goldberg, South Africa (African National Congress), Ledum Mitee, Nigeria (AN), Volker Hauff (Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development), Hans G. Huber (Winner of the ‘German Environmental Award’ of the DBU) und Michael Brzoska (Director of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg).

Discussion forum about the struggle for resources

A public discussion forum about ‘Struggle for resources - Conflict resoulution potentials of the UN and other international players’ will take place on Tuesday, 18th September, from 6 - 9 pm in the Old Townhall in Bonn. In other Westphalian towns - Ahlen, Gronau, Muenster and Osnabrueck - separate regional events with prominent contributions will take place in the course of Tuesday.

Concluding event with Federal Environmental Minister Sigmar Gabriel

Berlin is setting of the conclusion with a public event at the Brandenburg Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, 19th September, where the Federal Environmental Minister Sigmar Gabriel will speak of “Politics of Energy as Politics of Peace” and the Norwegian Alternative Nobel Laureate Johan Galtung will discuss Peace Strategies in View of Climate Catastrophe and Global Resource Crises.