May 2017: PRISMA Side event at Dresden NEXUS Conference

Limited resources and planetary boundaries call for a circular economy. The focus on the
nexus between different resources such as water, soil and waste with their societal use
uncovers the degree of resource cycles and environmental protection. Optimisation of this nexus requires sustainability assessment to make environmental, economic and social issues as well as intergenerational and global justice transparent. However, this kind of assessment is particularly challenging if it comes to the representation of the complexity of the processes involved and the understandability and usability for the multitude of stakeholders.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations provide a general normative reference for sustainability evaluation. Operationalisation of these goals remains a major scientific task particularly for a comprehensive and consistent assessment of resource cycles and use. Hence, there is the question of how far advanced sustainability assessment for the water-soil-waste nexus could support transparency and trigger transformation towards sustainable development.
The panel discussion provides a unique forum in this respect bringing together the views of international institutions, scientists, and producers during an outstanding international conference, the DNC 2017. It sheds light on the state of the art of sustainability assessment and explores future perspectives. The panelists represent the international expertise of distinguished bodies and figures in the fields of sustainability assessment and research on the resources water, soil and waste. After initial statements, they will elaborate on recent developments and further opportunities for advancements of sustainability assessment. The discussion leaves room for questions from the audience.

Panelists:
Ms. Kei Ohno-Woodall
UNEP/FAO Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Geneva, Switzerland
Rattan Lal
Professor at Ohio State University, Ohio, USA
Stefan Bringezu
Director of Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Kassel, Germany
Tran Viet Nga
Professor at National University of Civil Engineering, Hanoi, Vietnam
Peter Saling
Director BASF, international company, Ludwigshafen, Germany

Moderator:
Jochen Schanze
Member of the PRISMA board and Professor at TU Dresden, Dresden Germany

Please find here the programme.