16.5 Key Findings and Lessons from Technology Cooperation
Just as policies and policy instruments have varying effects on the marketability
of a technology, they also tend to affect different aspects of the use and operation
of the new technology. The salient lessons emerging from cases listed in this
chapter include the following:
- Technology cooperation can work remarkably well. The global economy has
emerged with advanced communication and information access, experts trained
internationally, and strong incentives for cooperation. Cooperation is particularly
powerful in helping entrepreneurs choose new investments. At the local level,
programmes spur local innovation and competition, when supported by broader
cooperative networks that pool resources.
- Technology cooperation for global environmental protection has proved to
be successful in a large number of cases. There is a global concern for environmental
protection that is shared by citizens, corporations, and governments in every
country. This concern has motivated unprecedented actions including global
environmental treaties and accords (e.g. the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols,
the Law of the Sea, and regional standard-setting measures for emissions such
as SO2 over Europe).
- Technology cooperation can be win-win. In addition to being environmentally
beneficial, technology cooperation can have additional benefits for participants.
Companies gain reputation and access to national technology leaders and markets;
engineers are challenged, motivated, and empowered; suppliers find capable
customers to help introduce new technology; and end-users save money and improve
their quality of life. The financial savings from efficient technologies,
reduction of waste, and improved worker productivity often are greater than
the costs of cooperative implementation. Nevertheless, win-win scenarios can
be complex and multifaceted. In some cases nations or industries can be coerced
or induced to adopt ESTs even if they do not initially perceive the benefits.
An example is cogeneration of power in India where governmental regulation
forced a change that, despite significant industry objections, has proved
to have benefits to both the state through added power resources, and to the
companies through additional sales and energy security.
- Funding is critical to technology cooperation. At a minimum, adequate funding
is necessary for organising and managing projects, providing expert consultants,
communication, and reporting. In some of the most successful examples of technology
cooperation, funds are also available for the incremental costs of the environmentally
superior technology (e.g. Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund, see Section
3.3.3 in Chapter 3 and 5.5.7
in Chapter 5).
- Technology cooperation requires clear goals and motivation as a precondition
- Corporate and government leadership accelerates progress by creating momentum,
jointly overcoming market barriers and by promoting market incentives. Corporations
are particularly influential in encouraging suppliers to improve environmental
performance. Governments are often successful in streamlining regulatory approvals.
- Funding institutions as opposed to projects supports institutional capacity
and local sustainability. Numerous cases point to an inability on the part
of technology recipients to pursue locally appropriate technological solutions
(e.g. dispersed renewable energy systems), because international support was
only available for technology and not human and institutional resources and
- Failure to seek participation from users or local people in technological
adaptations can lead to sub-optimal utilisation or even a complete failure
in the use of the technology.
- Almost every successful technology cooperation results from the commitment
of individual "champions" who motivate, persuade, and manage the
technological, political and economic process that leads to eventual dissemination
- Failure to recognise issues of intellectual property rights and proprietary
R&D produce significant bottlenecks to greater private-sector involvement
in many technology transfer efforts that are environmentally and socially
- Restructuring of markets for energy, recycled and re-used materials, and
property rights for natural resources create opportunities for EST adoption.
However, structural changes also create major challenges that require institutional
solutions to make ESTs competitive or less costly than more resource-intensive
- National and international action and, in many cases, cooperation and policy
initiatives are needed to attach appropriate prices to natural resources.
If instituted, many of these policies could significantly reduce the wasteful
use and pollution of limited global resources.