Transcript UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR A NEW …

Quality of Life (2)
• New materials for implants
• New therapies: gene therapy, e.g. genetically
engineered protein for hemophiliacs
• Robot assisted surgery
• Tissue engineering
• New drug delivery system
• New isotopes for diagnostic and therapy
• Mechanical devices: micro-pumps, micro-valves
Quality of Life (3)
Environment :
– Improving urban life : transport, housing, limitation
of natural and man induced hazards, preserving
cultural heritage
– Reducing waste :
• introduction of materials saving processes (see diagram
of material flow for the production of Silicium for
photovoltaic cells)
Quality of Life (4)
• recycling of materials: French fries oils ( 1.1 Billion liters
per year in the U.S.), ban on animal based feedstock
substances (« farines animales ») in France leading to
2.8 Million Tons of slaughtering residues to be disposed
of, if no longer processed, the equivalent of 10 000
trucks of 30 Tons capacity on the roads, etc
• introduction of Zero Emission Schemes by industrial
clustering (Kalundborg, Grande Synthe, Iwate, etc)
Quality of Life (5)
– Preserving the natural environment :
• global pollution : climate change
• local pollutions
– Prevention and mitigation of natural and
anthropogenic hazards
• Earthquakes, tsunamis
• Typhoons, Hurricanes, Tornadoes
• Floods, Landslides
– Saving water
Two case studies: Climate Change and Water
Conservation
S&T and Climate Change (1)
Projection of global temperature rises in 21st
century leads to higher figures than forecasted by
IPCC in 1995:
+1.5 to +6°C rather than +1 to +3.5°C (extreme over
last 18000 years: –4.5 to + 2°C)
Effects on sea level, sea currents, desertification,
extreme climatic events, propagation of diseases
S&T and Climate Change (2)
How can S&T contribute to mitigate the problem?
– Better understanding of the highly complex, nonlinear phenomena governing climate change,
notably the terrestrial carbon cycle, the influence of
suspended particles such as sulfates in the
atmosphere, the increased occurence of tempests
and cyclones
S&T and Climate Change (3)
– Technologies for reducing greenhouse gases
emissions: energy conservation , clean
technologies in energy production (43% of
anthropogenic CO²), industry (19%) and transport
(24%), reduction of emissions from animal
husbandry (30% of anthropogenic Methane), rice
paddies (22%), waste dumps (11%), oil fields (17%),
forest fires (11%)
– Technologies for CO² sequestration: deep and
shallow water injection, underground storage,
forest plantations
S&T and Climate Change (4)
The last solution- carbon sequestration through forest
plantations - gets a substantial boost from a
controversial mechanism- beyond the tradable
emission permits- foreseen in the Kyoto Protocol: the
Clean Development Mechanism allowing companies to
offset their emissions by funding pollution-reducing
projects in countries which are not subject to an
emissions cap
S&T and Climate Change (5)
Examples of CDM application :
– Chiapas, Mexico:project Scolel Té financed by FIA. Planting
pine trees to offset the yearly 5500 tons of carbon from
Formula 1 racing activities.
– Bolivia: long term conservation of 650 000 ha of forests to
offset the 7 million tons of carbon over 100 years from
American Electric Power Co.
– Large range of prices: Chiapas 12$ per ton of carbon
sequestred, Bolivia 2$ per ton,Costa Rica (for Norway) 10$
per ton. Expectation to see carbon credits quoted on the
futures markets
S&T and Climate Change (6)
Pros and Cons of the CDM application
PRO: slow down deforestation
PRO: bring new sources of revenue to farmers in
developing countries
CON: reduce the pressure for cutting own emissions;
acquiring carbon credits is cheaper than converting a
coal-fired power plant
CON:encourage the use of fertilizers for accelerating
growth; fertilizers are themselves sources of GHG and
pollute waters
S&T and Climate Change (7)
CON: Danger of destroying biodiversity
CON: Very difficult to measure exact amount of carbon
sequestered
As in many other cases, a holistic approach has to be
taken, including all possible scientific, technological,
economical, financial, political and social factors
Water Conservation (1)
The scarcity of water is a threat to world population
growth. « Water wars » are possible in the future
( Middle East, most of Africa, Southeast Asia)
Currently 1 Billion people lack access to safe
drinking water, 2.1 Billion are without safe
sanitation
In 1995, there were acute water shortages for 436
Million inhabitants in 29 countries. In 2025, this will
happen to 1.4 Billion in 48 countries.
Water Conservation (2)
What can S&T do for allivieting the problem?:
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Less costly desalinisation processes
Producing food in deserts using water-holding gels
Growing « dry rice »
Water saving techniques in industry e.g.steel and paper
New irrigation practices
Better water delivery systems ( loss of water in some
cities’distribution systems amounts to 40-60%)
S&T are not enough. It requires a change in approach
as well as huge investments (180 Billion$ per year)
Lessons from the two cases
S&T can help, but they can’t alone solve all
issues. Such problems require a holistic
approach encompassing social, political,
economical, financial and even cultural factors.
In both cases, as in many others in the
environmental field, nearly all scientific
disciplines are involved in the study of the right
solution. It is a field characterised by a strong
interdisciplinarity.
The Position of Europe in S&T (1)
Several indicators are used for describing the position
of the European Union and its Member States in S&T.
They are represented in the following tables and
diagrammes:
– Gross Expenditure in R&D
– Governement Expenditure in R&D and Business
Expenditure in R&D
– R&D personnel
These indicators do not describe the ultimate
efficiency of the system, as they are limited to the
description of input parameters