As part of the Montréal Environment and Resource Economics Workshop, a full day workshop has been organized on the theme of Circular Economy, Resources and Geopolitics.
Description
Mineral resources are essential to the energy transition (and other transitions, like the digital or even the circular transitions). We recognize the role of recycling (and eventually other circular strategies) to optimize resource use. One question is: what is the role of circular economy in the transitions and the management of critical raw materials (CRM)? Several states (EU, USA, China, Quebec, etc.) have strategic plans for the management of critical resources. They all explicitly mention “circular economy” or at least “recycling”. The initial allocation of resources is key in the growth potential of nations. Nonetheless, a country with little endowments in CRM may specialize in the management and recycling of strategic (end-of-life) products or materials and reduce its dependency to CRM or secure CRM availability. Another question is: what is the impact of circular economy in the geopolitics of resources?
Schedule
9h00 to 10h15
Critical raw materials for the energy transition
Aude Pommeret, Francesco Ricci and Katheline Schubert
Speaker : Aude Pommeret, Université Savoie Mont Blanc
10h15 to 10h30 15-minute coffee break
10h30 to 11h15
The geopolitics of metals and metalloids used for the renewable energy transition
André Månberger and Bengt Johansson
Speaker : André Månberger, Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, Lund University
11h15 to 11h25 10-minute coffee break
11h25 to 12h10
Cooperating on new sustainable visions with old global politics? Insights from China-EU circular economy discourse
Paper #1: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/s8v7e/; Paper #2: https://osf.io/download/5faa445c91419d019866d9b6/
Anran Luo, Mehwish Zuberi, Jiayu Liu, Miranda Perrone, Simone Schnepf and Sina Leipold
Speaker : Anran Luo, Chair of Societal Transition and Circular Economy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
12h10 to 12h30 20-minute lunch break (prepare your lunch and come eat with us !)
12h30 to 13h15
Quebec plan for the development of critical and strategic minerals 2020-2025
Speakers : Claude Barnard and Patrice Roy, Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles
___________________
* This is a virtual workshop in collaboration with CIRANO. If you would like access to this event, please contact one of the organizers : sophie.bernard@polymtl.ca or justin.leroux@hec.ca.
