In 2022, IRGC invited authors to produce papers about specific emerging technologies, where concerns of environmental sustainability may manifest when those technologies reach deployment, and instruments or approaches to identify and address potential adverse consequences on the environment early in the design process.
A compilation of all papers (edited volume) is available for download in PDF format here, and each individual paper can be downloaded separately below.
- Introduction. Common themes (Marie-Valentine Florin)
- Learning from the past. Risk governance of emerging technologies: Learning from the past (Rainer Sachs)
- Gene drives. Gene drives: Environmental impacts, sustainability, and governance (Jennifer Kuzma, North Carolina State University)
- Chemicals. Smart materials and safe and sustainable-by-design — a feasibility and policy analysis (Steffen F. Hansen and Freja Paulsen, Danish Technical University, and Xenia Trier, University of Copenhagen)
- Using bio-based residues. Ensuring the environmental sustainability of emerging technologies applications using bio-based residues (Christian Moretti, ETH Zurich)
- Electric batteries. Lithium-ion batteries for energy and mobility: Ensuring the environmental sustainability of current plans (Andrea Vezzini and Priscilla Caliandro, Bern University of Applied Sciences)
- Space technologies. Ensuring the environmental sustainability of emerging space technologies (Romain Buchs, ClearSpace)
- Carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Ensuring the environmental sustainability of emerging technologies for carbon dioxide removal (Benjamin Sovacool and Chad M. Baum, Aarhus University)
- Cultured meat. Is cultured meat environmentally sustainable?(Christian Schwab and Marine Boursier, EPFL)
- Ex-ante life cycle assessment. Practical solutions for ex-ante LCA illustrated by emerging PV technologies (Stefano Cucurachi and Carlos Felipe Blanco, Leiden University)
- Anticipatory life cycle assessment. Anticipatory life cycle assessment for environmental innovation (Thomas P. Seager, Arizona State University)
- Liability systems. Liability’s role in managing potential risks of environmental impacts of emerging technologies (Lucas Bergkamp, Interlex)
- IRGC’s guidelines. Ensuring environmental sustainability of emerging technologies — the case for applying the IRGC emerging and systemic risk governance guidelines (Rainer Sachs)
Learning from these case studies helps us understand the extent to which concerns about potential risks to environmental sustainability are or could be taken into account earlier, with specific approaches or dedicated instruments.
Download
- Ensuring the environmental sustainability of emerging technologies (Edited volume, 2023) (pdf)