wpn2030 - Wissenschaftsplattform Nachhaltigkeit 2030. Finding a sustainable pathway out of the coronavirus crisis. Recommendations from the Science Platform Sustainability 2030 to strengthen Germany's Sustainable Development Policy

This discussion paper prepared by the Science Platform Sustainability 2030 (in German: Wissenschaftsplattform Nachhaltigkeit 2030, short: wpn2030) presents a number of recommendations to the German Federal government on how efforts to tackle the unfolding pandemic can be harnessed to promote sustainable development and bolster resilience to future challenges. These recommendations are of particular relevance to the forthcoming update to the German Sustainable Development Strategy (in German: Deutsche Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie, short: DNS). Building on insights developed in the wpn2030 Reflection Paper (2019) on the further development of the DNS, this paper advocates for a systematic and integrated approach to crisis management and sustainable development, as advocated by the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and other institutions. This paper is informed, among other things, by the results of an online consultation on the coronavirus pandemic, which was conducted over four weeks by the Science Platform, yielding 75 contributions (www.wpn2030.de/ergebnisbericht-konsultation-corona); contributions from and interviews with members of the wpn2030 Steering Committee and stakeholders from wpn20302030 working processes as well as members of the scientific advisory councils of the Federal Government; final reports from wpn2030 working groups and the Reflection Paper published in 2019 by wpn20302030 on the further development of National Sustainable Development Strategy; statements and contributions from the scientific institutions supporting the platform's activities (the German Committee for Sustainability Research on Future Earth – DKN Future Earth), the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany (SDSN Germany)). In addition, the secretariat of the Science Platform analysed scientific papers, statements and position papers from a range of relevant sources, including member organizations of the multi-stakeholder "Sustainability Forum" hosted by the Federal Chancellery. In total, over 80 such contributions were reviewed. This discussion paper reflects the role of wpn2030 as a science platform and is informed by the findings of independent working processes. As such, it is not intended to represent the position of the wpn2030 Steering Committee.