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Technological change is undoubtedly one of the keys to ensuring that economic growth and environmental improvements co-exist. As such it is vitally important that environmental policies and policy instruments provide the right incentives for the development and diffusion of ‘environmental’ technologies.
As part of its work on decoupling environmental pressures from economic growth, the OECD’s Environment Directorate has launched a project on the effects of public environmental policy on technological innovation with the aim of improving the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental policies. Drawing upon patent data, the links between public policy and technological change are being examined.
As a prerequisite for any such work, appropriate indicators need to be constructed. This underlying developmental work includes:
- Development of the methodological basis for indicators of invention and transfer and the associated programming of extractions from PATSTAT (see an updated report);
- Development of patent search strategies for various areas of ‘environmental’ technologies (see a website dedicated to the ENV-tech indicator).
In the analytical work, data on selected OECD countries is analysed to study innovation effects of alternative policy instruments (such as emission or technology standards, investment incentives, taxes, tariffs, and tradable permits).
- More generally, recent work has analysed the characteristics of environmental policy framework (stringency, predictability, flexibility) that may be amenable to induce innovation and technology transfer (see a recent publication);
- Dedicated work in energy and climate change mitigation technologies has been undertaken, including a study on the determinants of inventive activity in renewables and a study on the determinants and consequences of international technology transfer. A working paper summarizing the main results of this work is available.
A brochure highlighting some of this work is available here: 2011 (2010)
Innovation in Climate Change Mitigation Technologies, Compared to All Sectors
OECD 2010. OECD Project on Environmental Policy and Technological Innovation www.oecd.org/environment/innovation.
Based on data extracted from the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT).
Transfer of wind power technologies from Annex I to non-Annex I countries: 1988-2007
OECD 2009. OECD Project on Environmental Policy and Technological Innovation www.oecd.org/environment/innovation.
Based on data extracted from the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT).
Disclaimer
The views expressed in the documents on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the OECD or its member countries.
Contact us
For more information regarding this project please contact Nick Johnstone or Ivan Haščič at: env.contact@oecd.org.
Bookmark this page: www.oecd.org/environment/innovation
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