Technological Environmental Innovations (original) (raw)
Related papers
2005
This paper is based on empirical research on a taxonomy of technological environmental innovations. It draws on a databank with over 500 examples of new technologies (materials, products, processes and practices) which come with benign environmental effects. The approaches applied to interpreting the datasets are innovation life cycle analysis, and product chain analysis. Main results include the following:
Novel entities and technologies: Environmental benefits and risks
Environmental Science & Policy, 2020
Novel technologies are continually being developed every day. Lessons from the past show that some resulted in unintended harm to the Earth's system. The challenge for organizations working at the interface of the environment, technology, and society is, therefore, how to best harness the environmental benefits from new technologies while minimizing their potential adverse effects. Here, we identify some of the emerging technologies that the international development community needs to consider as it seeks to take advantage of new technologies to promote sustainable development. There are several innovationssuch as blockchain, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, cellular agriculture, and gene editing techniques that could either positively or negatively affect the environment, food security, human health, and the transition to clean energy. Some of their benefits and potential environmental and socioeconomic concerns are discussed. We further suggest actions that can be taken by organizations involved in sustainable development, such as the United Nations and other global and regional bodies, to exploit the benefits from novel technologies and mitigate their risks. 1. Introduction: lessons from the past One important lesson from past 'innovative' or 'novel' solutions to human and environmental challenges is the later realization that some choices led to unintended harm to the environment. The European Environment Agency documented some of these lessons (EEA, 2013). For instance, chlorofluorocarbons-introduced for use in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents, solvents, and as replacements for toxic refrigerants-were later discovered to deplete stratospheric ozone. Similarly, several chemicals intended to improve agriculture and industrial processes, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), were later found to be persistent pollutants that harm the ecosystem and human health. One of the challenges, therefore, for organizations working at the interface of the environment, technology, and society, is deciding which new technologies offer solutions that can solve environmental problem while minimizing potential adverse impacts, how these technologies relate to their mission, in what time frame, and what strategies will capture the most benefits. This is particularly of interest to the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues. The GEF serves as the financial mechanism for five international environmental conventions including, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury (more details at https://www.thegef.org/about-us). The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the GEFan advisory body to the GEF partnership, therefore, initiated a study to identify emerging technological advances relevant to GEF's work and to develop an approach for capitalizing on their development. These socalled 'novel entities,' are defined in this study "as things created and introduced into the environment by human beings that could have positive or negative disruptive effects on the Earth's system" (STAP, 2018). The definition here is a modification of the one introduced by Steffen et al. (2015) in the planetary boundaries framework study. Unlike in Steffen et al., which focuses mainly on the potential unwanted
Technological Change and the Environment
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
Environmental policy discussions increasingly focus on issues related to technological change. This is partly because the environmental consequences of social activity are frequently affected by the rate and direction of technological change, and partly because environmental policy interventions can themselves create constraints and incentives that have significant effects on the path of technological progress. This paper, prepared as a chapter
Emerging Technologies and the Environment
Technological innovation is at once a driver of global environmental harm and an avenue of response. This course will look at a range of ways to understand technologies and technological systems, so that course participants can better appreciate the complex opportunities and challenges that technological development presents. What does it mean to use technologies to try to “solve” complex environmental and social challenges? Can technological innovation be steered in productive rather than destructive directions? What does our technological future hold? Along the way we will examine a range of emerging technological forms that have extraordinary implications for environmental and social wellbeing, including biotechnology, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and the technologies of climate engineering.
Environmental Technological Innovation and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development
International Journal of Technology, 2018
Globally, global warming, resource depletion, and increased solid waste volumes have become major concerns for international governments. This paper aims to address Malaysia's competitiveness in the context of global environmental change by analyzing firms that have incorporated environmental technological innovation (ET innovation) in their operations. This paper illustrates the connections between ET innovation and sustainable development and discusses the implementation of ET innovation at a firm level. The firms selected for this study focused on the whole spectrum of ET innovation when implementing their environmental technologies. These firms also targeted international markets with their eco-products and green technologies. However, we established that they need to become more market-oriented during the development of their products and technologies so that they address market needs. The involvement of firms in ET innovation requires significant investment in R&D and the proper management of resources to be successful.
Promoting Technological Environmental Innovations
International Journal of Applied Logistics, 2011
This paper reviews and discusses the debate over the effectiveness of environmental regulation in promoting industrial Technological Environmental Innovation (TEI). Using the innovation-friendly regulatory principles adapted from Porter and van der Linde (1995a, 1995b), this paper demonstrates how properly designed and implemented environmental regulation (TEI promoting regulation) has played a critical role in promoting TEI in the transport industry in California and Hong Kong. In both cases, it has shown that stringent environmental regulations that send clear and strong signals for future environmental performance requirements are critical in promoting TEIs in the public transport industries. Unlike traditional command-and-control regulations, TEI promoting regulations are strongly supported by incentive and capability-enhancing measures.
The emerging problems of climate change are largely due to the exploitation of new processes made available through technological innovation. However, it is widely believed that technological innovation can also help to meet the challenge of environmental protection. In this paper, we consider the processes of adoption of pro-environmental innovations by individual consumers.