Date post: | 26-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | leonard-todd |
View: | 213 times |
Download: | 1 times |
DIME – RAL2 Conference 2009 on:Eco-innovations and global sustainable development
Maastricht April 28th 2009
Origins of the paper
Telecom Institute project (ECOTIC)
StEP project (Ewaste institutions, UNU Bonn)
Rebound effect project (BARTICE)
Objectives of the paper
1) Introduce one part of the ECOTIC project
(ICT firms and (genuine) green growth)
2) Introduce a public policy that might help
overcome the barriers for ICTs to contribute
to (a genuine) green growth
3) Discuss how can evolutionary economists contribute to (a genuine) green growth
0) Genuine green growth = ?
Development: BAU = economic focus Sustainable development = BAU?
Growth: of GDP Green growth = …
(Genuine) green growth = ?
Takes into account the pressures exerted by human societies on natural ecosystems
Source: Common & Stagl (2006), Ecological Economics, p. 87.
The contribution of ICTs to green growth
How ICT firms did it:• Desk based research part of ECOTIC project• Methodology: …
Results • Most jumped on the green IT bandwagon• Clear focus on energy efficiency• Risk of greenwashing (BAU)• Risk of rebound effects
2) The barriers for ICTs to contribute to green growth…
Source: Hilty (2008: 147), IT & Sustainability, BOD.
Rebound effects
Technological progress makes equipment more efficient.
Less resources are needed to produce the same amount of product using the same amount of equipment (ceteris paribus).
However… not everything stays the same. E.g. demand can increase because a product
rendered more efficient will sell more (cheaper or better quality).
Example of a rebound effect caused by ICTs
My new car consumes less energy thanks to ICTs
I drive longer distances (my driving preference is
income elastic)
Part of the energy saving is gone
This how the RE is measured: A RE of 10% means
that 10% of the energy efficiency improvement
initiated by the technological improvement is offset by
increased consumption.
Berkhout, P.H.G., Muskens, J.C., Velthuijsen, J.W. (2000), Defining the rebound effect, Energy Policy, 28, 425-432.
Example 2: Pollution leakages
GHG leakages: the case of old
refridgerators
Ewaste leakages: the accelerated
obsolesence of ICT products and the
illegal export of their hazardous waste
htt
p:/
/ww
w.c
om
pu
tert
ake
ba
ck.c
om
/th
e_
pro
ble
m/in
de
x.cf
m
USA exports enough e-waste each year to fill 5126 shipping containers (40 ft x 8.5 ft). If you stacked them up, they'd reach 8 miles high - higher than Mt Everest, or commercial flights.
2) … and the policies to overcome these barriers
The WEEE directive and the rebound effect (pollution
leakages):
Successful take back systems
Job creation
A failure to prevent illegal exports
Failure to foster ecodesign
Evolutionary economists & green growth
Business as usual?
How can we help make ICTs contribute
to (genuine) green growth?
one suggestion…
Public policies
• 2002 : more than 1 billion
computers in the world, 130
millions of news ones.
• Basle convention on
transboundary waste (1989)
• In France: today HH generate
13 kg/an/hab., out of which less
than 4 kg is recycled.
WEEE: 1,7 Mt/y
(50% from HH).
A 24 kg computer
requires 1,8 tonnes
of raw materials.
The European WEEE directives
Directive RHOS 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of
certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic
equipment
Directive WEEE 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and
electronic equipment are designed to tackle the fast
increasing waste stream of electrical and electronic
equipment and complements European Union measures on
landfill and incineration of waste.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/index_en.htm
WEEE directive: 5 principles
1) Polluter pays
2) EPR (extended producer responsibility)
3) « 1 to 1 »
4) Eco-organisms
5) Quantified targets4 kg / year /cap. by 2006 for HH WEEE
Nantes: how much does recycling actually costs?
Printer + mainframe : 2,70 euros
Mobile phone : 0,50 euro
DVD reader: 1,40 euro
Computer screen : 8 euros
TV : 15,60 euros
Fridge : 28 euros
Basel convention (1992)
Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary
Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal (signed in 1989)
170 member countries (Parties), aims to: Cf title !
Avoid transfer of HW to DCs
Reduce toxicity of HW
Help DCs to handle HW.
http://www.basel.int/
Ecodesign
Dematerialise
Reduce energy consumption
Facilitate EOL treatment (reuse, recycling, material
recovery)
EC definition:
• Integration of environmental considerations at the design
phase http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/ecodesign.htm
EU policy = EUP directive (2005)
A public-private partnership for recycling electronic waste in Africa
In cooperation with the Hewlett-Packard Corporation and Empa, the
Global Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) is launching a project on WEEE
management improvement within 5 African countries. Objectives:
Protect the people of Africa and their environment from the
damaging effects of e-waste;
Make the e-waste processing sector more viable by creating jobs
and seeking to improve working conditions in this sector.
http://www.dsf-fsn.org/cms/content/view/233/lang,en/