Governance of emerging technologies in the context of sustainable development


 On Mar 28 2012, ENSSER members and colleagues convened the session “Governance of Emerging Technologies in the Context of Sustainable Development“.

 

Chaired by Claudia Neubauer and Brian Wynne

Convenors: Kathy Jo Wetter, ETC Group; Claudia Neubauer, Fondations Sciences Citoyennes; Hartmut Meyer, The European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER); Tom Wakeford, Society for Participation, Engagement And Knowledge Sharing (SPEAKS); Chee Yoke Ling, Third World Network

Rapidly emerging areas of research such as synthetic biology, geoengineering and nanotechnology are heralded as delivering environmental and social goods. However governments have so far failed to establish effective means of critical evaluation of these potentially transforming technologies for their safety, ethics and societal or environmental impacts. This session will explore how innovation can be fully and fairly assessed.

New models of technology assessment and opportunities for internationalisation

    Dr. A. Ely; University of Sussex, UK

Towards an International Convention for the Evaluation of New Technologies

    Mr. J. Thomas & K.J. Wetter; ETC Group, Canada

Mapping Synthetic Biology: The role of Science Mapping in the governance of new and emerging areas of science and technology

    Dr. P. Oldham, Prof. B. Wynne, Dr. O. Forero, Dr. S. Hall; Lancaster University, UK

Holistic Concepts for Sustainability Assessment of Synthetic Organisms

    Dr. H. Meyer; ENSSER, Germany

Biofuels: A Governance Failure

    M. Alexander; ActionAid UK, UK

Sound Science for Global Agricultural Policy? Recognising the disempowerments which inflated science brings

    Prof. B. Wynne; University of Lancaster, UK

Towards a People’s Food System: Rebuilding agri-food research through participatory democracy

    Mr. T. Wakeford, SPEAKS, UK; Mr. M. Pimbert, IIED, UK