Banning Technology in a Circular Economy
Standing
Graduate (PhD)
Type of Proposal
Film/Media
Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
Proposal
In the name of sustainability and the circular economy, a trend has developed to ban a technology outright rather than transition to an alternative based on market demands. Germany has proposed to ban internal combustion engine cars sold by 2030. The ban would impact car manufacturers, car dealers, recyclers, consumers, and the energy grid infrastructure. Another recent ban was for the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA), used for hard clear plastic such as water bottles, and as a lining in metal cans. The safer alternative found in BPA- free products, Bisphenol S, has now been shown to have similar endocrine-disrupting affects as BPA, if not worse than what it was replacing. What are the costs and benefits associated with an outright ban compared to a transitional period? What are the opportunity costs from an environmental perspective for not developing competing technologies? Does a ban actually motivate or institute a change, and is the change worthwhile and effective? Do we lose the ability to go back and is the change the best change? A ban is harmful because it has unintended consequences and lost opportunities. A prospective life cycle analysis is a tool used to predict future impacts for a system over predefined conditions, and can be used to investigate the proposed bans.
Location
Windsor, Ontario
Grand Challenges
Sustainable Industry
Banning Technology in a Circular Economy
Windsor, Ontario
In the name of sustainability and the circular economy, a trend has developed to ban a technology outright rather than transition to an alternative based on market demands. Germany has proposed to ban internal combustion engine cars sold by 2030. The ban would impact car manufacturers, car dealers, recyclers, consumers, and the energy grid infrastructure. Another recent ban was for the chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA), used for hard clear plastic such as water bottles, and as a lining in metal cans. The safer alternative found in BPA- free products, Bisphenol S, has now been shown to have similar endocrine-disrupting affects as BPA, if not worse than what it was replacing. What are the costs and benefits associated with an outright ban compared to a transitional period? What are the opportunity costs from an environmental perspective for not developing competing technologies? Does a ban actually motivate or institute a change, and is the change worthwhile and effective? Do we lose the ability to go back and is the change the best change? A ban is harmful because it has unintended consequences and lost opportunities. A prospective life cycle analysis is a tool used to predict future impacts for a system over predefined conditions, and can be used to investigate the proposed bans.