Security of supply and scarcity of raw materials: a methodological framework for sustainability assessment

Hotel Conca Azzurra, Ranco

13-14th November 2012

Constantin Ciupagea Head of Sustainability Assessment Unit (H08)

Institute for Environment and Sustainability

DG Joint Research Centre

www.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Serving society Stimulating innovation Supporting legislation

Barroso: strong commitment to research and innovation “… acting as a bridge between policy making, science, society and economy is an

invaluable asset of the JRC, given its outreach to so many bodies and organisation inside

and outside Europe."

Geoghegan-Quinn: JRC the brain of the European Commission “The JRC… delivers scientific excellence, sound advice and key anticipation services,

making the JRC the real ‘brain’ of the European Commission […].”

Dominique Ristori: the European Commission's

in-house science service

Science and the role of the JRC

Direct research:

JRC is the European Commission's in-house science service

and the only DG executing direct research; providing science

advice to EU policy and sharing its know how with the Member

States, the scientific community and international partners

… is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical

support throughout the whole policy cycle.

Serving society, stimulating innovation, supporting legislation

.

JRC’s mission and role

• Financial stability and economic growth

• Environment, sustainability and climate

change

• Energy and transport

• Agriculture and food security

• Health and consumer protection

• Information society and digital agenda

• Safety and security (including nuclear)

supported through a cross-cutting

and multi-disciplinary approach

Key policy areas

Quick facts • Established in 1957

• 7 institutes in 5 countries: Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain

• 2856 permanent and temporary staff as of Feb 2012

• 1467 scientific publications in 2011

• 245 key elements of support to the EU policy-makers in 2011

• Budget: €381 million annually, plus €67 million earned income

JRC at a glance JRC Institutes

• IRMM – Geel, Belgium

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements

• ITU – Karlsruhe, Germany Institute for Transuranium Elements

• IET – Petten, the Netherlands and Ispra, Italy Institute for Energy and Transport

• IPSC – Ispra, Italy Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen

• IES – Ispra, Italy Institute for Environment and Sustainability

• IHCP – Ispra, Italy Institute for Health and Consumer Protection

• IPTS – Seville, Spain Institute for Prospective Technological Studies

JRC: A networked organisation

JRC collaborates extensively with over 1 000 public and private organisations, institutions and expert groups in more than 250 major networks worldwide: Partners include: • Government departments • Government laboratories • Industry • Universities and research institutes

The JRC Provides: • Cooperation and partnerships with

key organisations

• Support to enlargement

• Training and mobility of researchers

• Access to scientific infrastructures

• Support to European Research Area policies

• Support to standardisation

JRC National Contact Points

The JRC has put in place a network of National Contact

Points (NCPs) with the aim of promoting the JRC among

the scientific community in respective countries. Our NCP

Network is the main source of information about the JRC in

all Member States and FP7 Associated Countries.

JRC Information Days / visits Luxembourg, Albania (2012); Visit of delegation from enlargement countries, October 2012

JRC-NCP-Network@ec.europa.eu

JRC publications…..examples

JRC Annual Report - gives an overview of JRC activities

JRC Reference Reports - provide a reference for political decision-makers, the research community, stakeholders and an informed but non-specialist audience. Focus on areas directly linked to S&T needs related to current or emerging issues relevant to policy making.

JRC Newsletter - a bi-monthly publication with an overview of recent highlights

Brochures etc., Member State Collaboration leaflets, thematic reports, ..

JRC Scientific and Technical Reports, JRC Technical Notes, …

Our Institute’s mission

Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES)

•To provide scientific and technical support to EU policies for the

protection of the environment and the more efficient and

sustainable management of natural resources at global and

continental scales.

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Innovation Union

Integrated Industrial Policy

Digital Agenda

IES in Europe 2020

• climate change & energy

• bio-economy

• ERA (JPIs)

• CAP - beyond 2013

• INSPIRE – beyond 2015

• space - GMES • standardisation • climate change • resources & development

• interoperability

• standards

• “citizen science”

cross-cutting aspects:

• LCT, eco-design & eco-labels

• External policies (climate adaptation,

global sustainable growth, trade of

natural resources)

• Spatial planning (optimising land use)

• Monitoring progress (indicators)

Resource Efficiency

IES - Policy Context Europe 2020 - Resource Efficient Europe, Digital Agenda, Innovation Union,

Integrated Industrial Policy,

Food Security Managing our natural resources

Sustainable development and

sustainability assessments

Digital Earth Living with climate change

Greening the CAP (DG AGRI)

G20 Action Plan

Global agriculture monitoring

(DG AGRI, DEVCO)

Eco-design (DG ENTR; DG ENER)

Waste directive (DG ENV)

Bio-economy (DG ENTR, DG RTD)

SCP/SIP Action Plan (DG ENV)

Challenges in commodity markets and on raw

Materials (COM, DG ENTR)

20/20/20 targets (DG CLIMA)

UNFCCC

EU strategy for adaptation to

climate change (DG CLIMA, ECHO)

REDD

INSPIRE (DG ENV, ESTAT)

GEO (DG RTD)

e-government (DG INFSO)

GMES (DG ENTR) EU Marine strategy (DG ENV, MARE)

Biodiversity Action Plan (DG ENV)

Soil Thematic Strategy (DG ENV)

Water Blueprint – 2050 (DG ENV)

EU Air Policy (DG ENV)

UNCCD

UNCBD

Cohesion funds (DG REGIO)

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IES’ High Level Objectives (for 2013)

• Develop multi-disciplinary analyses and indicators of the

sustainability of current and present use of natural resources

• Develop scenarios for the efficient use of natural

resources in the global transition towards resource efficiency

and sustainable development

• Develop information infrastructures and systems to share

environmental observations, information and analytical models

and promote interoperability and standard setting

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Our Unit’s mission and goals

Sustainability assessment unit (H08)

• The mission of the Sustainability Assessment Unit is to foster sustainability principles in EU policies by developing an integrated assessment framework towards environmental quality and socio-economic viability in the decision making process.

• The specific aims of the work of the Unit are to:

ensure that the costs and the benefits of EU policy measures are

well balanced in the frame of an environmentally sustainable

economy, following a life cycle approach for assessments.

support the development of new paths of growth focusing on the

new opportunities provided by a wider concept of green economy.

boost the economic value of ecological services in a context of

integrated and efficient management of natural resources. 13 27 November 2012

H08 - Future mainstreams:

Development towards an Integrated Sustainability Assessment Platform, starting from the existing research infrastructures (Land Use Modelling Platform and European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment), based on:

•spatially-resolved allocation of functions (social and economic activities) in complement to environment sustainability assessments; support to analyses of supply chains and consumption behaviour (in a life cycle perspective);

•link between the environmental footprint concept and the analysis of resources scarcity and their efficient use; support to environmental standards setting;

•the investigation of scenarios and targets in important areas of policy interest: bioeconomy & food security, resource efficiency (supporting the newly created platform in DG ENV), critical raw materials, energy package, regional policy and climate change. Delivering policy support to other DGs.

•special focus on environmental impacts and targets (monitoring tools), setting constraints and boundaries for sustainability assessments.

Thank you!