Resource Innovation: New ideas for managing scarce resources and energy

A Science|Business Academic Policy Symposium

The European Commission’s Roadmap for a Resource Efficient Europe highlights the challenge of sustaining growth in the 21st Century as vital resources grow scarce, including those used to produce energy. By 2050 the EU needs to achieve a 4 to 10-fold increase in resource efficiency, and major gains are needed by 2020. Policy makers must now launch a vital shift to resource-lean production, and eco-innovation. What new technologies and innovations can deliver large-scale gains? How can a systems approach to policy speed progress? And how can governments accelerate breakthroughs by creating market conditions that reward resource efficiency?

Confirmed participants include:

• Alan Seatter, Deputy Director-General, DG Environment, European Commission;
• Gwenole Cozigou, Director, Chemicals, metals, mechanical, electrical and construction industries; Raw materials, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission; 
• Julian M. Allwood, Leader of the Low Carbon Materials Processing Group, University of Cambridge; Lead Author of the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chapter on mitigation options in industry;        
• David G. Victor, Professor; Director, Laboratory on International Law and Regulation, University of California, San Diego;
• David Eyton, Group Head of Technology, BP.

This is the fifth in a series of Brussels events on various aspects of energy R&D policy organized by Science|Business with the support of BP. A report of the conclusions will be published, as a contribution to the policy debate in Europe over this vital set of technologies for a sustainable energy future.