Michael M. ZWICK, University of Stuttgart - Sociology of Technology, Risk and Environment, Germany
The intention for my presentation comes from conspicuous results from empirical analyses with the TechnikRadar survey: If one analyzes the general attitudes of the German public towards bioeconomy, a paradox becomes apparent. A paradox between a pronounced preference for the principles and objectives of bioeconomy – for example, ‘altering production to renewable bio-based raw materials’ – on one hand and a strong orientation towards untouched nature, which must not be exploited as a resource, on the other hand. A large majority of Germans deny that “people should have the right to treat nature as a resource according to their needs” - a demand that limits, if not inhibits, the practical implementation of bioeconomy. Whether these paradoxical preferences for environment on the one hand and untouched nature on the other hand represent a German specificity seems worth to be discussed with an international audience.