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).