CEP WORKING ON SECOND ANNUAL CYCLE OF THE EU FORESIGHT SYSTEM FOR EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

CEP is supporting the characterisation of priority emerging issues as part of the second annual cycle of the EU foresight system to detect emerging environmental issues

 In our role of providing the secretariat for the EU Commission’s Foresight System for the detection of emerging environmental issues (FORENV), CEP is now leading the characterisation of ten priority emerging issues.

Now in its’ second annual cycle, this cycle of FORENV is focussing on identifying and characterising Emerging - economic, business, technological and social - innovations in the Green economy of the Future.  This topic was selected by the European Commission and relates to the need to move away from the current linear (take-make-dispose) economy to one that is climate neutral and in which growth is decoupled from resource use, as reflected in the European Green Deal.  The importance of understanding and planning for emerging risks is also highlighted by the current Covid-19 pandemic.

CEP facilitated a series of sense-making workshops held in January and February 2020 from which the ten priority emerging issues were identified.  The issues represent a range of social, technological and economic developments that may become more important in coming years and decades, with implications for Europe’s environment and policy.  For example, how might the sharing economy evolve and develop, in what ways will society and communities interact with a new circular economy, and what might be the future green economy tax and finance regime?

More information on FORENV can be found on the European Commission website, where a short video presenting the FORENV method is also now available.

The final report for the first annual cycle has been published, together with infographics for each of the 10 emerging issues to help communicate the FORENV process and outcomes to a wide audience.

The methodology used for FORENV, which was developed for the European Commission through a project led by CEP, has also been published.

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

First annual cycle of the EU foresight system for emerging environmental issues completed

CEP successfully supports first annual cycle of the EU foresight system to detect emerging environmental issues (FORENV)

In 2018 CEP, with colleagues from Milieu (Belgium), Cranfield University (UK), the German Federal Environment Agency and Vision Communication (Spain), were commissioned by the European Commission DG Environment to run the 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)’.

FORENV runs on an annual cycle, and CEP’s role is to:

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

• Organise and facilitate participatory sense-making workshops, which will help identify ten priority emerging environmental issues, including related risks and opportunities.

• 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 first annual cycle (2018 – 2019) has now been successfully completed.  In its first year FORENV focussed on identifying emerging issues at the environment-social interface.  The 10 priority emerging issues identified include topics such as: digitalisation and mobile communications as drivers of change in citizen activism, consumption behaviours and the way that people connect with nature; the emergence and divergence of new consumption patterns; the implications of populism and protectionism for international cooperation on environmental issues; and the role cities might play as ‘living labs’ to test social and technological innovations.

A final report for the first annual cycle has been published, together with infographics for each of the 10 emerging issues to help communicate the FORENV process and outcomes to a wide audience.

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