CEP to run EU foresight system on emerging environmental issues

CEP to provide the secretariat for new EU foresight system to detect emerging environmental issues (FORENV)

CEP has been commissioned by the European Commission DG Environment to run a new EU foresight system to detect emerging environmental issues. Named FORENV, the project aims to ‘improve the understanding of policy-makers of emerging environmental issues by supporting yearly cycles of the system set up by the Environment Knowledge Community (EKC) for the identification of emerging environmental issues and related risks and opportunities (FORENV)’.

CEP will be working, initially over the course of the next 12 months, with colleagues from Milieu (Belgium), Cranfield University (UK), the German Federal Environment Agency and Vision Communication (Spain) to:

• Conduct a broad scanning to compile and characterise at least 100 weak signals of emerging issues for Europe’s environment.

• Through a participatory sense-making exercise, identify ten emerging environmental issues, including related risks and opportunities on the basis of a broad range of sources and expertise.

• Characterise the identified emerging issues and define related risks and opportunities for the environment, through recent scientific literature and expert involvement.

• Inform policy-makers, stakeholders and the public on the identified emerging issues through appropriate reporting and communications.

The project follows on from an earlier project undertaken by CEP and Milieu to develop a participatory methodological framework for the systematic identification of emerging issues for the environment (and environmental policies). This project will put that methodology into practice.  Subject to the first year the contract will be renewable for up to a further three times (to 48 months) to continue the detection of new emerging issues that could impact the environment and environmental policies, in order to allow the European Commission to put in place appropriate responses where necessary.

For further information please contact Owen White (Technical Director) or Paula Orr (Technical Director).

CEP running a workshop on identifying emerging environmental risks

Photo credit: 'Atomium - Bruxelles, Belgium' by Giorgio Galeotti on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP running a workshop on a proposed system for identifying emerging environmental risks

As part of our work to develop a methodological framework for the systematic identification of emerging risks to the environment for the European Commission’s DG Environment, CEP together with our consortium partner Milieu Ltd are organising and facilitating a one-day workshop to explore a proposed Framework for Identifying Emerging Environmental Risks. The event will take place in Brussels on Thursday 4th May 2017, and will bring together experts from across the European Commission as well as representatives of other organisations and individuals engaged in managing emerging issues and risks.

The workshop will be a participatory event involving group sessions and the practical testing of elements of the proposed approach. The CEP and Milieu team will facilitate working sessions with experts to discuss and explore topics including: a systematic methodological framework for identifying emerging environmental risks; institutional roles and responsibilities; and options for trialling the approach.

For more information on this event and the project please contact the CEP project manager Owen White (Principal Consultant).

CEP running a brainstorming event for the European Commission

Photo credit: 'European Commission' by Sébastien Bertrand on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP to run a brainstorming event on the development of a methodological framework for the identification of emerging environmental risks

As part of our work on the ongoing project to develop a methodological framework for the systematic identification of emerging risks to the environment for DG Environment of the European Commission, CEP together with our consortium partner Milieu Ltd are organising and facilitating a one-day brainstorming event.  The event will take place on Thursday 1st December 2016, in Brussels, and will bring together experts from across the European Commission.

The brainstorming will be a participatory event in which the CEP and Milieu team actively facilitate working sessions with experts, to discuss and explore topics including: the scope and characteristics of a potential European system for the identification of emerging environmental risks; and existing methods that could contribute to a systematic framework for identifying emerging environmental risks.

For more information on this event and the project please contact the CEP project manager Owen White.