The economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine are likely to reshape the science-policy interface with significant implications for net-zero goals, green growth, and sustainable development. The recent experience from the government-supported acceleration for the development and deployment of vaccines and the renewed priority given to energy security have provided an impetus to mission-oriented innovation approaches to address environmental challenges. In addition, the pandemic has severely affected some vital actors of innovation ecosystems, such as start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are also more exposed to the consequences of high energy prices.
The 2022 OECD Green Growth and Sustainable Development (GGSD) Forum discussed how these recent developments affect mission-oriented approaches for green innovation and the role that low-carbon hydrogen and the bio-economy sectors could play in a sustainable recovery. It also discussed the specific challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs, and the lessons learnt from the international scientific co-operation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) efforts to address environmental degradation.
