Innovation for the environment

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Innovation for the environment
Presentation 3 Environment and Sustainable
Development course UNU-MERIT PhD programme

• René Kemp
• UNU-MERIT, ICIS, DRIFT

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Innovation is many things
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Environmental technologies

• consists of new and modified processes,
  equipment, products, techniques and management
  systems that avoid or reduce harmful
  environmental impacts
• They may be grouped in 5 categories
• Treatment technology
• Clean production processes
• Green energy technology
• Environmental measurement and management
• Consumer products
• Environmental benefits may also be achieved
  through system changes (system innovation).

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Innovation is created in distributed systems of
knowledge and its success depends on economic
frame conditions and many other factors not under
the control of the innovatorthis is true for
normal innovation and for environmental innovation
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1 The term continuous refers to a continuing
process in which there may be some
discontinuities.
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The production chain  

 
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Basics about innovation

• Innovation is a systemic, dynamic process
  involving increasing returns to adoption and
  inherent uncertainties
• Technological innovation is part of trajectories
  and patterns (Pavitt van de Poel) and depends on
  institutional innovation (in policy, markets,
  organisation, beliefs and values) for its
  development and use

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Appropriate technologies for developing countries

• Large scale or small scale
• Building on indigenous capabilities and
  traditions (example of biogas)
• How to make them fit (mutual alignment)?
• Possibilities for leapfrogging?