The Boundaries of Scientific Innovation in the EU Green Deal Context

Abstract

Abstract The dynamics of global energy and climate agenda progresses rapidly. The European Union has frequently taken an active role in international climate policy by developing relevant strategies in as early as the nineties the last century, and today promoting an ambitious EU Green Deal to become climate neutral by 2050. However, despite its ambition and recent success in meeting most 2020 goals, the EU does not have an easy schedule to progress on its climate and energy targets for 2030. Recognizing the transition, one of the scientific excellences European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) published the first environmental report in the beginning of 2020. Through a wide range of environmental activities and clearly disseminated targets, this organisation actually brought to the table a discourse on how scientific organisation can be part of EU Green Deal actions and how to perform research within the scope of the environmental context. This article focuses on two concepts to contribute to larger discussions in both the research and governance communities, how researchers should conduct their science, and what respective responsibilities of researchers, their institutes, have in terms of European environmental policy. Literature was reviewed to find a theoretical approach to the environment, responsible innovation and science diplomacy. The research was developed through literature study to identify and describe the respective indicators as well as through an analysis of secondary sources whereby a previous attempt to collect and analyse other sources had been conducted by scholars in respect to the relationship between innovation and the environment.