Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have formed a new research community (RC) for sustainable resource society. The RESOURCE RC calls out the urgency for influential research on sustainable use of resources in our societies and in business.
Professor Rauno Sairinen, Director of RESOURCE, states: “To achieve the goals for a sustainable future and carbon neutrality, we need improved societal understanding of sustainability transition processes from the fields of energy, resources and circular economy. For example, battery revolution in our society opens new kind of sustainability challenges when integrating the use of renewable energy and electric cars, mining of required battery metals, and need for circular economy.”
Acronym RESOURCE comes from the longer name Sustainable Resource Society: Circular Economy, Energy and Raw Materials. The new research community integrates together various sciences from environmental policy and law, to business studies, geography, history and digital geosciences. RESOURCE aims to responds to the systemic challenges of sustainability transitions through advancing high-level scientific research in three interlinked thematic research areas: circular economy, energy, and raw materials.
“We will continue strengthening collaboration with industry and government to advance the adaptation of business and society and to accelerate sustainability transition in society. The sustainable use of natural resources creates opportunities for innovation and change in society, business and individual behavior. The multidisciplinary RESOURCE research community provides a fruitful platform for advancing research on responsible and sustainable innovation”, says Hanna Lehtimäki, Professor of Management.
“The European Green Deal calls for a systemic transformation across all sectors. Ambitious EU-wide objectives such as the climate neutrality target for 2050 and transitioning to clean energy require enhanced, coherent, and substantial contributions from EU law. This not only challenges the EU legal system but also requires high-level legal scholarship especially in the fields of climate, energy, and environmental law”, continues Seita Romppanen, University Lecturer.
International Conference on Sustainable Resource Society on 25-26 October 2021
RESOURCE RC is developing interdisciplinary and comparative approaches between technologies and countries and invites researchers, stakeholders and business sectors into collaboration.
As a first step forward in bringing all interested together, RESOURCE will organise a conference. 1st International Conference on Sustainable Resource Society (SRS) will be held on 25.–26.10.2021 in Joensuu, Finland as a hybrid event.
Abstracts of max 300 words should be submitted by 30.9.2021, please see the abstract submission form. Registration for the conference starts 1.8.2021, please see the registration form. The language of the conference is English, and participation is free. The topics to be discussed are as follows: circular economy, sustainable business and entrepreneurship, sustainable raw materials and resources, climate law and governance, energy law and governance, environmental law and governance, climate change and energy transition.
