A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to participate in a "Risk Governance for Nanotechnology" workshop organized by the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC). Among the 30 attendees were representatives from the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Economic Forum, Environmental Defense, CBEN at Rice University, Swiss RE, Pfizer, and the NanoBusiness Alliance.
The event was coordinated by Ortwinn Renn from the University of Stuttgart and Mike Roco from the U.S. National Science and Technology Council, and was moderated by Tim Mealey of the Meridian Institute. It was a very valuable two-day meeting, during which we critiqued a draft white paper on risk governance, suggesting numerous revisions and additions. This is approximately the midpoint of a process which will culminate in July with an international conference, again in Zurich.
I was pleased overall with the direction taken and with the content of the workshop documents. It was refreshing to see that some international leaders are willing to consider longer term risks and more serious implications than nanoparticle toxicity. If all goes well, we may be developing a framework within which productive nanosystems can effectively be evaluated in terms of economic, environmental, geopolitical, and societal impacts.
We'll keep you informed.
Mike Treder
Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics weblog blog
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