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Response to Energy and Environmental Challenges: Drivers and Barriers
The chapter discusses various approaches to identification of energy and environmental challenges, as well as key stakeholders (international organizations, national governments, business, and civil society organizations) and their input. Specific attention is paid to future study tools and Pressure-State-Response framework. Further, the main energy and environmental challenges and their positive and negative security implications are outlined. These include assuring clean and affordable energy, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, depletion of natural resources, and increasing volume and rate of waste generation.
The drivers for grand challenge responses that are discussed in the chapter are the international agreements (regional and universal), subnational actors' contribution (business initiatives and civil society campaigns), new market opportunities, and energy and resource-saving culture. These drivers are marched with the main actors involved.
The barriers for addressing grand challenges range from correct definition and framing of grand challenges, assessing their sources and magnitude to path dependency, and urgent decision-making. Other important barriers are economic restructuring, social unrest, lack of stakeholder involvement, and limited international cooperation. For each barrier, possible approaches to overcome them are analyzed and illustrated with examples.