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Workshop on Industrial Transformation research

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Image: NASA

(un) On 3rd April 2003 the Swiss IHDP Committee and ProClim organised a workshop addressing possible connections of Swiss projects concerning industrial transformation and the Industrial Transformation Project (IT), a core research project of IHDP (International Human Dimensions of Climate Change Programme). Pier Vellinga, chair of the IT, and Anna Wieczorek, executive director of IT, presented IT and its objectives. IT is an international, multi-disciplinary research initative aimed at understanding complex society-environment interactions, identifying (potential) driving forces for change, and exploring development trajectories that have a significantly smaller burden on the environment on a global scale. The emphasis is thus on activities towards radically new technologies, which are conducted jointly with institutional changes.The five focus themes are Energy and Material Flows, Food, Cities, Information and Communication, as well as Governance and Transformation Processes.
It was argued that the technological change cannot be easily separated from the structural and cultural change in the society and that any major transformation towards sustainability will imply a high level of social-cultural change combined with a similar high level of technological change. The national and international sustainable development agendas should be integrated with policy agendas on technological innovation.
Several Swiss projects concerning new technologies were presented, including e.g. shared solar power systems, the concept of a 2000 Watt society, and integrated micorosystems for energy supply. There are also different projects concerning the implementation of new technologies, e.g. about connections of diffusion of technological changes and behavioral change, labelling as strategy and instrument for technological changes, the role of venture capital, strategies and measures toward sustainable leisure traffic, or marked-based instruments in connection with the Kyoto protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It was made clear, that IT wants to encourage research in its field, but has no possibility to finance projects. However, it can introduce concerted actions, organize peer reviews or can help to connect projects. IT doesn't want primarily to address all different kinds of technological possibilites (like e.g. energy efficiency, special technologies etc.), but concentrates mainly on «transformation knowledge», i.e. how to implement new technologies or how to support changes.
The workshop was a good opportunity for the participants to get to know other Swiss projects in the field and to discuss possibilities and benefits of a link with the international IT community. The workshop participants were invited to submit their project for formal approval by the international IT program.

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