Environment and Innovation (EU INNO)

New environmental concepts and technologies and their implications for shaping the future EU environmental policies.

This project assessed emerging environmental concepts and technologies in terms of their proponents, their potential for further use and their implications for future EU environmental policy as well as for the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy and Sustainable Development Strategy.

This project, which SERI carried out in cooperation with MERIT, University of Maastricht and the Finland Futures Research Center, Turku for the European Parliament, had three main objectives:

• Assessment of emerging environmental concepts in terms of their proponents, their potential for further use and the differences between responses in the EU and in other countries;

• Assessment of emerging environmental technologies in terms of their scope, private and public uptake, potential for future development, potential future benefits and the differences in use between the EU and in other countries;

• Discussion of the implications of the above concepts and technologies for future EU environmental policy, for the Lisbon and SDS objectives and for relationships with non-EU countries.

In coordination with the European Parliament, the team selected the following six environmental policy concepts, which are elaborated in detail:

• Dematerialisation and Eco-Efficiency

• Cradle-to-cradle analysis

• Ecological Footprint

• Transition Management

• Vulnerability Assessment

• Eco-Sufficiency

In terms of environmental technologies, the following six technologies were selected, all offering possibilities for the EU to be a pioneer, or could be important contributors to a “clean, clever and competitive” approach in Europe if they are supported by EU environmental policy.

• Small scale biological water treatment for homes or industry

• White biotechnology or biocatalysis

• The use of biotechnology plus solar energy in hydrogen-based transportation systems

• Carbon dioxide sequestration

• Energy-producing greenhouses, using heat pumps

• Solar panels (photovoltaic) combined with heat pumps for houses

Fritz Hinterberger presented the EU-INNO study at the European Parliament on the 7th of December. The study describes and assesses new emerging environmental concepts and technologies and their implications for shaping the future EU environmental policies.

You can download the presentation here and the study here .