All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies
An official website of the European Union | How do you know?
Environmental information systems
Hosted by the EEA and the European Centre for Governance in Complexity (ECGC), this webinar followed the launch of the EEA report ‘Governance in Complexity: Sustainability Governance under Highly Uncertain and Complex Conditions’ with a panel debate with four distinguished panellists around the systemic and complex nature of sustainability challenges and the knowledge and governance responses needed to deal with them
In case you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording on our YouTube channel.
Programme
13:30 | Welcome | Lorenzo Benini, Sustainability Transitions Expert, European Environment Agency |
13:35 | EEA report ‘Governance in complexity’ | Ana Jesus, Integrated Assessment Expert, European Environment Agency Zora Kovacic, Co-Director, European Centre for Governance in Complexity |
13:50 | Panel discussion | Roger Strand (moderator), Co-Director, European Centre for Governance in Complexity Claire Dupont, Research Professor of European Governance and sustainability transformations, Ghent University; Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency Ruth Richardson, Executive Director, Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA) Laurent Bontoux, Senior Foresight for Policy Expert, EC-Joint Research Centre Liselotte Jensen, Policy Analyst, European Parliamentary Research Services (EPRS) |
14:20 | Q&A with the audience | Roger Strand (moderator), Co-Director, European Centre for Governance in Complexity |
14:55 | Concluding remarks | Lorenzo Benini, Sustainability Transitions Expert, European Environment Agency |
About the report
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution is challenging European and global governance, as traditional problem-solving tools are proving inadequate. This report introduces 'governance in complexity', a concept designed to respond to sustainability challenges by appreciating their uncertain and complex nature. Recognising that such challenges have multiple framings and inherent uncertainties, this approach emphasises inclusive and flexible governance. Key principles underlined in this approach include experimentation, systems thinking, participation, precaution, anticipation, and care. By acknowledging diverse perspectives and uncertainties, this approach seeks to navigate and mitigate trade-offs rather than conceal them. Real-life examples at various levels, including EU responses to recent crises, illustrate the practical application and the insights offered by this governance model in promoting sustainability transformations.