Innovation against climate change

The Climate Change Bill sets a statutory emissions target for the UK. To meet the challenge, the UK needs to make the transition to a low-carbon economy. However, it is currently locked-in to high-carbon technologies and ways of working, making the shift costly and difficult.

Disruptive innovations can help break this lock. These are cheaper, easier to use alternatives to existing products or services that often target new or under-served users. They can enable the rapid introduction of low-carbon technologies, or the carbon-conscious behavioural changes, that will make the transition easier.

But current environmental innovation policy is both too fragmented, and too narrowly focused on technological ‘fixes’ and ‘radical innovation’. By consolidating and broadening environmental innovation policy, Government can enable individuals, firms and communities to create and utilize disruptive innovations.

Communities, in particular, can often be the best groups to implement novel ways to reduce carbon emissions. NESTA’s Big Green Challenge aims to enable communities to reduce their carbon footprint through innovation.

Published
January 2008

Author
NESTA

Report
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