For the first time, the ECEEE industrial efficiency conference in Berlin included not only energy efficiency but also resource efficiency / the Circular Economy in the conference research themes. Therefore, Anna Brunzell and Carl Dalhammar fr5om the Mistra REES programme were present at the conference to inform about REES and hand out REES publications and information materials. Carl also had a session presentation about the synergies and trade-offs of simultaneously addressing resource efficiency and climate in policy making, followed by a discussion among the session participants (more information here). It is evident from the discussion that many policymakers working with energy and climate issues must increasingly also address resources in modelling and scenarios, and this was considered as something positive and necessary.
In one of the side events, Martin Porter from the European Climate Foundation gave a speech titled: ‘Integration of decarbonisation and circular economy as chance to innovate European industries and as centrepieces of industrial and climate policy’. The main message, supported in a recent report, is that material efficiency strategies may be the most promising way to cut greenhouse gas emissions in European industries. It was also stressed that policies for resources must complement climate policies; otherwise all gains in climate policies may be offset by increased resource use.
A main conclusion from the event is that the time has come to look at Energy/climate/resources in a more integrated manner, which requires a lot of research efforts and development of methods and tools.