I perceive the status of Europe’s resources as that of a man suffering from a chronic disease. He has to completely change his way of life, ending a life of bad habits, changing his diet, keeping fit and taking on a suitable load. Some people are able to do this and live even longer than the average; others succumb to the draws of comfort, suitable for the healthy, surrendering to the disease; the payback of a shorter lifespan and diminished wellbeing being quick.
It is difficult to understand that the established way of dealing with resources can no longer continue. Even harder to understand is that in a time of crisis, we need to create more, increase growth and at the same time consume fewer raw materials. The resolution on the efficient use of resources has led to many debates in the preceding days in the European Parliament. Natural resources are already limited today, which is why real prices of basic commodities have increased by 147% since the beginning of this century. The increasing destruction of the Earth’s natural capital is having large consequences. Sustainable economic growth, where we use fewer resources and produce more products, is more realistically achievable in times of crisis, rather than in times of plenty. History has taught us that times of plenty in themselves limit creativity.
The most important areas that will require major changes are: food, housing and mobility. It will therefore be very important to bring together quantifiable and comprehensible effects with a changing lifestyle that every European can achieve. At the same time, this is the greatest opportunity for policy: how to engage all of society, how to maximize green procurement, how to use waste, how to design products with already planned decomposition and re-use.
The doors are wide open here for researchers and innovators. This is a great opportunity to accomplish the mission to do more with less. Water consumption is expected to increase by 55% in the following decades, when already a third of the world is without water. We will need to produce 70% more food, and yet Slovenia and Europe don’t even have guaranteed subsistence. Even our diet will have to radically change.
The reduction of consumption of resources will also be supported financially through the Horizon 2020 initiative, which will provide 80 billion euro for research, innovation and enterprises. This is also an opportunity for Slovenian institutions, researchers and companies: to already begin preparing for Horizon 2020 projects, for which funding will start in 2014.
Europe is a prime location on the crossroads of research – because of its network of companies, skills, well developed markets, and in particular its ability to be confronted with complexity. Linking into technological platforms for water, materials, energy efficiency – innovation, new projects and new jobs will emerge from this.
