Notes for 10 December 2010 Expert Meeting, Edinburgh - 'Towards a Holistic Approach to Technology and Climate Change: What Would Be Part of an Answer?'

Abstract

These are initial further notes on the paper authored in the framework of the British Academy Funded Project "Obtaining, protecting and using essential environmental technologies: a holistic analysis" (see http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1697608).

They propose a number of additional measures to promote invention of and access to essential climate change and more generally environmental technologies.

The first proposal is to define what we mean by such technologies and more crucially which of such technologies we should foster.

The second proposal is a focus on the role of the two main actors, namely the state and the private sector. It argues the state has many roles to play (namely inventor, investor and stimulator) and they are more considerable than the roles of the private sector.

Finally, the paper proposes that research be done in the field of agreements and mergers between undertakings active in the field of polluting and eco-friendly technologies, the problem of non-practising entities should be carefully examined in the area of such technologies, the area of trade marks along with economic studies both theoretical and empirical should not be left unresearched.

Keywords: green technologies, climate change, global warming, intellectual property, patent, trade marks, environment, competition law, private sector, public sector, non-practising entities, economics, economic theory