227/08 Social challanges s the basis for foresight - Gaia

Why?
Drivers
and
trends
What?
Central
solutions
How?
– skills
– practices
– co-operation
are competent skills for energy and material efficiency
activities which ensure competence and
competitiveness of the industries. Regulation and
procurement methods must be efficient and effective.
For the implementation the society needs to
support peoples’ wellbeing and happiness.
The competence can be ensured by investing substantially
in education and training energy and
material efficiency to all, from primary schools to
advanced and continuing education at work. Primary
education is insufficient and too slow to
bring change and improvement in competence
and therefore the capacity building has to cover
the whole society at the same time. Basic research
on material and energy efficiency must be
invested in, and new regulations and support
mechanisms must be developed accordingly.
Regulation and support for procurement test beds
and commercialization, e.g. pilot processed and
entrepreneurship, risk funding, are needed. There
need be new life-cycle models and indicators to
monitor energy and material efficiency as well.
Environmental skills and management in society
Climate change and limited
resources
Efficient and effective
regulation and procurement
Regulation and
procurement test beds
Basic skills for everyone
– primary education
Globalisation and
more complex and
wider networks
Competitive industries
Skills for energy and material efficient activities
Energy and material efficiency
indicators and life cycle models
Basic research e.g. on material and
energy efficiency and market
regulation and support mechanisms
Need for political decisions
and regulation
Support to wellbeing and
happiness
Support for commercialisation, e.g.
pilot processes, entrepreneurship
Education and energy and
material efficiency skills in
many disciplines
Figure 5.6. Drivers, solutions and actions to reach the goals of environmental
skills and control in society
Attitudes and behaviour changes are essential
and those don’t happen without sufficient information,
e.g. through education, best practices and
evidence of benefits both in terms of sustainability
and economy.
The main drivers, which however might also turn
out to be obstacles when failing, are based on improved
competence throughout the society. Economical
and administrative control to right direction
is essential and that calls for improved competence
and skills from the decision makers to
make educated decisions. Encouraging regulative
measures speed up the development. Climate
change and limited resources are effective drivers
for improving competence in the society. Globalisation
requires new skills and expertise to
manage in the economical competition. Wider
and more complex professional and economical
networks need new skilled people.
The drivers, solutions and actions are summarised
in Figure 5.6.
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