Zero Sum World? How Should the West Respond to the Growing Competition for Natural Resources?

NEW YORK (February 8, 2012) – The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by the middle of the century and as the population grows, the demand for natural resources will continue to increase. In order to maintain the well-being of people, environmental sustainability, and global economic growth, new approaches to the protection and distribution of the earth’s limited natural resources are necessary. On February 15, at the GCRI, Raimund Bleischwitz and David Humphreys will discuss German and European strategies on raw materials and resource efficiency as well as China’s impact on resource markets, and what that impact means for society.

Raimund Bleischwitz, Co-Director of the German “Material Flows and Resource Management” Research Group at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, brings more than fifteen years of experience in sustainability and resource efficiency research. A visiting professor at the College of Bruges, Belgium, and a lecturer at the University of Wuppertal, Germany, he is also an expert in raw materials conflict. His latest book is The International Economics of Resource Management. A Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC, he currently researches the development of green industries with a focus on China’s role as a supplier of essential materials.

David Humphreys, a London-based expert in the area of economics and mining industry trends, published more than 150 articles on mining focusing on subjects, such as commodity markets, sustainable development, and national minerals policy. He served as an advisor to the UK government and as Chief Economist for two global mining companies. Humphreys is now a Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC, and on the Board of Directors of Russian gold producer Petropavlovsk PLC.

Marc Levy, Deputy Director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, will moderate the discussion. He is a political scientist specializing in the human dimensions of global environmental change. He has worked closely with the U.S. government and the United Nations on climate-security problems, and is currently a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Fifth Assessment.

The event will take place on Wednesday, February 15, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the German House New York (871 United Nations Plaza, First Avenue, btw. 48th & 49th Streets). The discussion is jointly organized by the German Center for Research and Innovation, American Friends of Bucerius, the New York-based non-profit organization affiliated with Bucerius Law School, as well as the Transatlantic Academy, a research institution devoted to creating common approaches to the long-term challenges facing Europe and North America. To RSVP, please click here.

The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.