Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)

About: Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Life-cycle assessment & Sustainability. The organization has 167 authors who have published 318 publications receiving 6738 citations.

Risks and Opportunities for Sustainable Management of Water Resources and Services in Santiago de Chile

Abstract: This chapter analyses the sustainability performance of water resource and water service management in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile, adopting water resource and water service perspectives. By comparing the targets with the current situation, we address sustainability deficits and identify potential risks to and opportunities for sustainable development. On the basis of this assessment, we summarize some of the most pressing issues that pose risks to sustainability and suggest mitigation alternatives. On the basis of population projections and historical fresh water data, we find that per capita availability could decrease from 767 to 1,100 today to 575–825 m3 per capita and year by 2030 for a normal water year, shifting Santiago de Chile from a position of water stress to one of water scarcity. This could become critical for semi-rural localities surrounding the urban core, which are currently outside the concession area of the major drinking water utilities. Although sewage treatment has improved considerably in the last 10 years, several reaches of natural streams remain at risk as a result of unregulated liquid emissions and solid waste disposal. Storm water management is still mostly confined to the development of a vast collection and disposal infrastructure, without significant investment in distributed management systems. Hence the risk of flooding in the lower areas of the city remains high, compounding other social problems in the city.

Converging infrastructures: Amplified socio-technical problems

Abstract: Konvergierende Infrastrukturen verdeutlichen die Komplexitat in Prozessen der operationalen Sektorkopplung sowie der soziotechnischen Sektorintegration Welche Konsequenzen dieser Entwicklung kann die Technikfolgenforschung bereits jetzt abschatzen und welche Schwierigkeiten ergeben sich dabei? Dieser Artikel stellt das TATuP-Thema sowie die einzelnen Beitrage vor und stellt neben technischer Machbarkeit und Effizienz auch explorative Fragen nach gesellschaftspolitischen Aspekten: Welche Strategien sollen den umfassenden Wandel initiieren und kontrollieren? Welche Mechanismen erlauben Handlungsfahigkeit trotz groser Unsicherheiten fur zukunftige Akteure konvergierender Infrastrukturen fur Energie, Transport und Warme/Kuhlung? Der interdisziplinare Ansatz orientiert sich an drei zentralen „soziotechnischen Problemen“ und gibt einen ersten Einblick, unter welchen Bedingungen konvergierende Infrastrukturen entstehen und welche Konsequenzen diese Prozesse moglicherweise haben werden

A new monitoring process of future topics for innovation and technological analysis: informing Germanys’ innovation policy

Abstract: Technologyassessment(TA) isdefinedasproblem- oriented transdisciplinary research that aims at working out solutions for societal problems. It provides advice to those in politics, science and wider society on issues related to re- search,technologyandinnovation.Thereiswidespreadagree- ment that TA should start at an early phase in order to con- tribute to responsible strategic technology development. If we assume limited resources, the question remained, however, how priority setting of TA should be organised. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research launched a researchproject toanswer thisquestionbased ontheir funding strategy. In this paper, we propose an approach to determine when TA should be conducted in a given situation, and which methodological approach of TA is most promising: using a 'coarse radar', several topics were identified in a two-pronged search approach. Then relevant topics were selected with the help of experts and the decision-making body itself. Finally, using a 'fine radar', detailed problem analyses of the prioritised topics were made to present concrete suggestions for funding by the BMBF (pre-projects). The paper evaluates briefly the methodology and discusses initial findings of the method evaluation process.

Risk Calculation as Experience and Action—Assessing and Managing the Risks and Opportunities of Nanomaterials

Abstract: Discussions about the appropriate way of assessing and managing new or emerging technologies—like nanomaterials—expose the problematic relationship between scientific knowledge production and regulatory decision-making. On one hand, there is a strong demand for scientific expertise to support decisions, especially by analyzing risks and hazards when uncertainties are prevalent and society’s stakes are high. On the other hand, science is criticized for its authoritative claim to objectivity and for keeping the inherent uncertainty, ambiguity, and selectivity of scientific observation latent. Requests for more transparency in science can lead to revealing, to risk managers and the public, the indeterminacy in knowledge production processes. This has consequences for the prevalence of scientific knowledge in decision-making, because it increases uncertainty on both sides of the breach between science and decisions: scientists lose confidence regarding the scientifically tested knowledge which they pass on, and risk managers lose confidence regarding their decisions based on this knowledge. Nonetheless, the concept of “probabilistic risk assessment” remains an important heuristic for dealing with potential future events. This paper addresses questions of the function of scientific risk assessment in organized risk management. The main argument in this paper is that knowledge alone no longer functions as a mechanism for absorbing uncertainty. Accordingly, the interaction between science and decisions must enable a temporarily stable commitment to manage new threats like products and applications coming from the field of nanoscience and nanomaterials.