DRINK Finland
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WHY? Environmental problems on the rise Each year, the global population increases by more than 70 million. In spite of technological development, mankind now uses 50 percent more natural resources than 30 years ago. The annual consumption of raw materials is about 60 billion tonnes and if the consumption cannot be curbed, this figure will exceed 100 billion tonnes in 2030. It has also been scientifically proven that greenhouse gas emissions will have to be radically cut over the coming decades. The process of internalizing this has also become a political consensus on the principles: negotiations are now in progress over who does what, how much each party must reduce its emissions and at what cost. At the same time, the urbanisation process continues at a quick pace, particularly in developing countries. The great majority of the world’s population faces local environmental problems in their everyday life. These problems will require major investments from mankind in the coming years. Solutions are desperately needed for producing clean water and energy- and materialsefficient products. There has been an international boom in environmental technology in recent years; this reflects the importance of these issues. The total value of international cleantech markets already stands at 1,500 billion dollars. We need plenty of tailor-made solutions on different scales, and we need to be able to measure, predict and assess the impacts they have on each other. This can only succeed if we invest sufficient resources in science, research and development. The deployment of market mechanisms for managing natural resources and controlling emissions is a prime example of this approach. Effective emissions trading requires that we can correctly calculate the current and forecast levels of emissions, both their total figures and the figures for individual actors. This is relatively easy in the process industry, but if emissions trading is to be extended to other actors, the challenge will be more considerable. Similarly, if fish populations are to be protected by establishing catch quotas, it is necessary to know what the fish populations are and their ecology.