Syndrome concept

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The syndrome approach is a method for looking at problems in the environmental, economic, social and cultural fields, which are divided into different syndromes . The method was developed by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). The aim is to alleviate or eliminate global undesirable developments or prevent them from occurring in the first place through preventive measures. To this end, the WBGU sends proposals to the federal government .

Background of the concept

The basic thesis of the syndrome concept is the assumption that the dynamics of global change can be traced back to a manageable number of typical patterns of causal relationships at the human-environment interface. According to the WBGU, the complex changes in the character of the Earth System raise four basic questions that must be addressed in order to deal with these processes. The basic questions are:

a) How do the changes come about and how are they linked to the global development problem?
b) How can you recognize or predict it at an early stage?
c) What are the risks associated with them?
d) How must humans act in order to prevent negative developments on a global level and to counter impending dangers or to minimize the consequences of global changes?

Research therefore has the task of developing diagnoses, prognoses and evaluations of changes or global trends. As a result, recommendations and notes on prevention (avoidance), remediation (repair) and adaptation (adaptation) should arise, which concern the handling of global trends. The research should be based on the guidelines of sustainable development ( Agenda 21 ) and proceed in an integrative manner , i. H. Include different disciplines (e.g. biology), sectors (e.g. regions of the world) and environmental media (e.g. water bodies) that are affected by the development.

Goals of the concept

The syndrome concept pursues four goals:

a) Systemic, functionally oriented overview of the processes of global change on different spatial and temporal scales
b) Identification of non-sustainable courses of development patterns in order to be able to determine the guard rails for a " sustainable development "
c) Contribution to the operationalization of the sustainability concept
d) Identification of the breakdown of global change into functional patterns, which provides the best decoupling between the individual patterns involved.

In terms of definition, the syndrome concept is a heuristic approach , which, however, intuitively does justice to the complexity of human-environmental interactions within global change rather than individual sectoral considerations.

Core problems of global change

The ten core problems of global change justify the necessity of the syndrome concept. They should be counteracted in a problem-oriented manner. They are assigned to the natural sphere on the one hand and to the anthroposphere on the other .

Natural sphere

  • Climate change : The accumulation of long-lived greenhouse gases leads to global warming, a shift in the climate belt and a rise in sea levels.
  • Soil degradation: A rapidly growing population and economic use result in moderate to severe damage to the soil, which destroys the human livelihood and thus leads to hunger, migration and armed conflicts.
  • Loss of biodiversity : Changes in the use of the habitats of animals and plants lead to a reduction in biodiversity.
  • Shortage and pollution of fresh water: Irrigated agriculture , industry and urbanization are reducing the amount of usable fresh water, which is increasingly polluted. This leads to social, political and economic conflicts.
  • Overuse and pollution of the world's oceans: The discharge of pollutants changes the ecological function of the world's oceans.
  • Increase in anthropogenic natural disasters: Human interventions in natural systems are increasing natural disasters.

Anthroposphere

  • Population development and distribution: The growth of the world population, rural exodus and migratory movements lead to excessive demands on the infrastructure in many places.
  • Environmentally-related threats to world food supply: Large parts of the world population are undernourished or malnourished.
  • Environmental threats to world health: Various factors lead to an increased incidence of infectious diseases, diseases and epidemics.
  • Global development disparities: There is a structural imbalance between industrialized and developing countries.

Trends / symptoms of global change

The trends or symptoms of global change denote highly complex natural and anthropogenic processes and describe the most important developments of global change as qualitative elements. They form the basis for describing the developments in the Earth system. The approx. 80 symptoms presented by the WBGU are divided into nine spheres (biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, population, pedosphere, economy, psychosocial sphere, social organization, science / technology - see Fig. 1). The symptoms can be measured in the physical, biological, chemical or social science sense using indicators. However, the information does not have to be available quantitatively.

The symptoms are initially not assessed. Problematic processes (e.g. decline in biodiversity), processes with ambivalent consequences (e.g. biotechnology and genetic engineering ) and processes with positive consequences (e.g. growing environmental awareness ) stand side by side. An assessment of the symptoms can only be made in connection with the cause-effect network between the symptoms. The colloquial formulation of the trends should serve a functional usability and correspond to the main topics of the public debate on global change.

  • Fig. 1: Symptoms of global change according to WBGU (1996)

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Interactions between symptoms

The symptoms are not isolated phenomena. There are causes in or effects from other symptoms. The interaction between two symptoms can be exacerbating, weakening or indefinite. The interaction of various symptoms results in a global network of relationships. The interactions are thus linking elements of the system-analytical description of the dynamics of global change and specify causal relationships.

Syndromes of Global Change

Syndromes or "(global) clinical pictures" contain different interacting symptoms that explain the change mechanisms (feedback effect, synergetic effect and symbioses). Syndromes thus represent characteristic, generalized constellations of symptoms and interrelationships. They are anthropogenically caused damage patterns. However, individual symptoms can be part of different syndromes. The functional patterns with undesirable characteristic constellations of natural and civilizational symptoms can be explicitly identified in many regions of the world. The WBGU defined 16 syndromes that affect various sectors and environmental media. They are considered to be globally relevant because they change the character of the Earth system. A syndrome must meet three criteria. First of all, it must have a direct relationship to the environment and must therefore not be purely anthropospheric. It has to continue to appear in many places and is intended to describe a negative development. Syndrome identification takes place in three steps:

  1. Creation of the network of relationships on the basis of literature reviews (measurement data, case studies, etc.) and summaries;
  2. Diagnostic part: data-supported global positioning, determination of vulnerable regions (disposition); Diagnosis of syndrome intensity;
  3. Prognostic step: Representation of dynamics and time courses with the help of qualitative differential equations; Modeling of different development possibilities.

In the process of syndrome identification, general statements can be made with regard to the interactions between the individual symptoms (e.g. “the more intensive the agriculture, the higher the soil degradation”). In principle, the dynamics of the syndromes are independent of one another, but interactions between different syndromes can occur. Every syndrome has a fixed core mechanism (certain interrelationships between symptoms) (see Fig. 2). In addition, however, it remains regionally flexible, as further symptoms can occur depending on the circumstances. Since the syndromes are considered undesirable developments, an alleviation or absence of the syndromes corresponds to the guiding principle of sustainability. The WBGU divided the identified syndromes into the three groups "Use", "Development" and "Sink".

  • Fig. 2: Core mechanism of the Sahel syndrome

  • Fig. 3: Change mechanisms of the Sahel syndrome

Syndrome groups

Seven different syndromes are assigned to the syndrome group “use”, which describes syndromes as a result of the inappropriate use of natural resources as factors of production.

1. Agricultural overuse of marginalized sites: Sahel Syndrome . This is when the ecological carrying capacity is exceeded in regions that can only be used to a limited extent for agriculture. Symptoms are a destabilization of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, desertification , threats to food security, marginalization and rural exodus.
2. Over-exploitation of natural ecosystems: Over-exploitation syndrome . Both terrestrial and marine ecosystems are overexploited regardless of their regenerative capacity, which has serious consequences for the natural balance. Symptoms are the loss of biodiversity, climate change, freshwater scarcity, soil erosion , an increase in natural disasters and a threat to food security.
3. Environmental degradation by abandoning traditional forms of land use: rural exodus syndrome . Traditional, formerly sustainable forms of agriculture cannot be maintained due to high labor intensity and the emigration of mostly young, male sections of the population. The symptoms here are genetic erosion, soil erosion, rural exodus, endangerment of food security and marginalization.
4. Unsustainable industrial land and water management: Dust Bowl Syndrome . The production factors soil and water are managed in an environmentally damaging way for the greatest possible yields of biomass in the sense of modern agriculture with high energy, capital and technology use. Symptoms are the loss of ecosystem and biodiversity, genetic erosion, eutrophication, acid rain, greenhouse effect, contamination of water and air, fresh water shortage, soil degradation, marginalization and rural exodus.
5. Environmental degradation through the use of non-renewable resources: Katanga syndrome . By mining non-regenerative resources above and below ground, the environment is partially irreversibly damaged by toxicity or morphological and energetic consequences. The symptoms included are loss of biodiversity, local air pollution, fresh water shortage, change in runoff, pollution of water bodies, soil degradation, the creation of contaminated sites and damage to health from environmental pollution.
6. Development and degradation of natural areas for recreational purposes: mass tourism syndrome . The steady increase in global tourism in the last few decades has resulted in considerable environmental degradation. Symptoms of this syndrome are the loss of biodiversity, the intensification of the greenhouse effect due to air travel, insufficient fresh water supply, soil erosion, insufficient disposal of sewage and waste, urban sprawl and high resource consumption.
7. Environmental degradation through military use: scorched earth syndrome . Military operations or contaminated sites damage the environment through a permanent hazard (e.g. sharp mines), falling back on environmental resources or previous armaments between the power blocks. The recognizable symptoms are the loss of biological diversity through chemical warfare agents, permanent soil degradation through mining, contamination through operating materials and explosives, health hazards and increased refugee flows.

Another six syndromes are assigned to the “development” syndrome group, which includes human-environment problems that result from unsustainable development processes.

8. Environmental damage through targeted design of natural areas within the framework of large-scale projects: Aral Sea Syndrome . This is a failed large-scale and planned redesign of natural areas with high capital investment, whereby the effects due to a lack of system understanding are not taken into account. Examples are dams or irrigation projects. The bundle of symptoms consists of a loss of biodiversity, local to global climate change, insufficient fresh water supply, soil degradation, forced resettlement of local populations and the risk of international conflicts (e.g. over water).
9. Environmental degradation through the spread of non-location agricultural production methods: Green Revolution Syndrome . Agricultural yields can be increased through a large-scale, planned modernization of agriculture with the help of imported agricultural technology. However, traditional forms of cultivation and products are being displaced. Resulting symptoms are a loss of biodiversity, genetic erosion, groundwater pollution, soil degradation, threats to food security, health threats from pesticides, marginalization, rural exodus, reduction of cultural diversity and an increase in economic disparities.
10. Neglect of ecological standards in the course of highly dynamic economic growth: Little Tiger Syndrome . In many regions of the so-called emerging countries there is rapid economic development that the development of the infrastructure cannot follow. This creates serious consequences for people and the environment. The symptoms of the syndrome are an intensification of the greenhouse effect, local climate change, smog, acid rain, water pollution, health hazards and high resource consumption.
11. Environmental degradation through unregulated urbanization: Favela syndrome . A process of unplanned, informal urbanization, especially in the form of slums, is being driven forward by high population growth and development problems in rural areas. This is followed by congestion, infrastructure and environmental problems as well as segregation phenomena. A planning of the settlement processes can no longer be maintained. Symptoms include air pollution, soil erosion, waste accumulation, noise, population growth, rural exodus, acute health hazards, marginalization, administrative failure, inadequate basic infrastructure and overloaded transport infrastructure.
12. Landscape damage through planned expansion of urban and infrastructure: suburbia syndrome . The expansion and formation of urban agglomeration creates new spatial structures that are characterized by high population density and specific, environmentally damaging interrelationships and, for example, affect the degree of sealing or the volume of traffic. Symptoms are fragmentation of ecosystems, ozone problems close to the ground, stratospheric ozone depletion, urban air pollution, increased greenhouse effect, acid rain, soil contamination , compaction and sealing, health hazards and traffic pollution .
13. Singular anthropogenic environmental disasters with long-term effects: Average syndrome . This refers to hazards whose effects often occur across borders. Transport accidents (e.g. tankers), incidents in industrial processes and the displacement of species are among these man-made disasters. Symptoms include loss of biological diversity, ecosystem degradation, contamination of soil, water and air, and health hazards.

The remaining three syndromes are assigned to the group “sinks”, and environmental degradation through inappropriate civilizational disposal is discussed.

14. Environmental degradation through extensive diffuse distribution of mostly long-lasting active ingredients: high chimney syndrome . After disposal into water and air, material emissions cause long-range environmental effects. The symptoms are very extensive and include a loss of biological diversity, eutrophication of ecosystems, thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer, increased radiation of UV-B on the ground, intensification of the greenhouse effect, regional and global climate change, sea level rise, acid rain and contamination of soils and Groundwater with consequences for drinking water resources.
15. Environmental consumption through regulated and unregulated landfilling of civilization waste: dump syndrome . The syndrome describes the consequences of disposing of residual and waste materials. This is about a highly compressed storage of these substances. Symptoms that appear are contamination of the soil and groundwater with harmful consequences for drinking water resources and a health hazard.
16. Local contamination of environmental protection goods at predominantly industrial production sites: contaminated sites syndrome . At sites with former industrial, commercial or military use and at disused storage sites, pollutant accumulations occur which are harmful to human health and the environment. Symptoms here are a loss of biodiversity, pollution in the soil, water and air, soil degradation and a health hazard.

Assignment of the core problems

In order for the syndrome concept to be usable, it must be possible to find all core problems in the syndromes. The table (see Fig. 4) shows which core problems can be related to the respective syndromes.

  • Fig. 4: Assignment of the core problems to the syndromes of global change according to WBGU (1996)

Significance for the scientific and environmental policy discourse as well as for didactics

First of all, it should be noted that the addressee of the WBGU concept is the Federal Government of the FRG. The takeover by z. B. the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the concept was also used in other institutions. The PIK developed another way of working in relation to the concept. First of all, cause-effect mechanisms or causal relationships should be determined in order to then measure the strength of the core of the syndrome and give recommendations for action. In the area of ​​research, the syndrome approach enables a high degree of interdisciplinarity . Qualitative and quantitative expert knowledge are combined when working with the concept. The concept seems to be particularly valuable for geography, as it enables the two sub-disciplines (physical geography and human geography) to be linked. In addition, geography can expand its bridging function between different disciplines. With regard to school education, the syndrome concept can serve as a frame of reference for ecological education and education for sustainable development in the broader sense, since it captures the retinity (networking) of ecological, economic and socio-cultural levels on a global scale and the human-environment relationship considered problem-oriented. Educational programs such as “BLK21” or “ Transfer 21 ” have already used the concept in several didactic elaborations. "Transfer 21" put together a list of ten reasons that speak in favor of using the syndrome concept in school education:

  1. Clarification of global relationships
  2. Dealing with complexity and structuring
  3. Trans-sectorality and transdisciplinary method
  4. Clarification of dynamism, historicity and relevance to the future
  5. Affectedness and responsibility of individuals, society and politics
  6. Emphasis on reflexivity and relevance to action
  7. Contribution to science propaedeutics : dealing with knowledge and ignorance
  8. Problem orientation and problem-solving skills
  9. Design competence.

Furthermore, by working with the approach, several components of the geographic curriculum can be met (e.g. dealing with core problems or interaction between nature and society). It should be noted critically that the sensitization of the affliction and responsibility for clinical pictures in schoolchildren is questionable from an educational-psychological point of view. In addition, the majority of global environmental syndromes are located outside the school environment and can only be transferred through media use.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - A Challenge for German Science. In: main report. 1996, accessed May 11, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 4
  3. ↑ a b WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 111
  4. ↑ Joachim Schindler: Syndrome approach - a practical tool for geography didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 49
  5. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 115
  6. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin, p. 115f.
  7. ↑ Dorothee Harenberg: Syndromes of global change as a general teaching principle. (PDF; 40 kB) p. 2; Retrieved August 5, 2011
  8. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag. Berlin, p. 111ff.
  9. ↑ WBGU (1996): World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin. P. 113
  10. ↑ Cassel-Gintz, Martin and Bahr, Matthias (2008): Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008. P. 5
  11. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 113ff.
  12. ↑ a b Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 54
  13. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 112
  14. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 5
  15. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 115
  16. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 116
  17. ↑ a b c Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 50
  18. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 5
  19. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 116
  20. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 120
  21. ↑ Dorothee Harenberg: Syndromes of global change as a general teaching principle. (PDF; 40 kB) p. 3; Retrieved August 5, 2011
  22. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 5
  23. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 117
  24. ↑ Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 57
  25. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 119
  26. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 120f.
  27. ↑ Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 59
  28. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 7
  29. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 120ff.
  30. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 120ff.
  31. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 131
  32. ↑ WBGU: World in Transition - Challenges for German Science. Annual report 1996. Springer Verlag, Berlin 1996, p. 131
  33. ↑ Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 6f.
  34. ↑ Katrin Hauenschild, Dietmar Bolscho: Education for Sustainable Development in Schools . In: Environmental Education and Sustainability . Volume 4. Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main. P. 61
  35. ↑ Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 59
  36. ↑ Joachim Schindler: Syndrome Approach - A Practical Tool for Geography Didactics. In: Praxis Neue Kulturgeographie. LIT Verlag, Münster 2005, p. 59
  37. ↑ Katrin Hauenschild, Dietmar Bolscho: Education for Sustainable Development in Schools . In: Environmental Education and Sustainability . Volume 4. Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main. P. 61
  38. ↑ a b Martin Cassel-Gintz, Matthias Bahr: Syndrome global change. In: Praxis Geographie. 6/2008, p. 8
  39. ↑ Dorothee Harenberg: Syndromes of global change as a general teaching principle. (PDF; 40 kB) p. 7; Retrieved August 5, 2011
  40. ↑ Katrin Hauenschild, Dietmar Bolscho: Education for Sustainable Development in Schools . In: Environmental Education and Sustainability . Volume 4. Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main. P. 65