Trends in water-related technological innovation: Insights from patent data

Xavier Leflaive, Ben Krieble and Harry Smythe
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Xavier Leflaive: OECD
Ben Krieble: OECD
Harry Smythe: OECD

No 161, OECD Environment Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: Innovation has a role to play to mitigate water-related risks and to support the provision of water services on which our well-being and sustainable development depend. Water-related innovation originate in a wide range of countries, with different levels of ambition. They disseminate at different scales globally.This paper uses patent data to document trends in the invention of technologies to promote water security since 1990, focusing on the countries in which inventions are developed, where they might be commercialised, and in which subsectors they originate. The water-related technologies identified in the paper can be clustered into three categories: i) water pollution abatement; ii) demand-side; and iii) supply-side. The paper describes a number of important trends that can inform a broader discussion on the factors that might hinder, or enhance, inventive activity to promote water security.

Keywords: droughts; floods; green tech; innovation; patent; water pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 O31 O38 Q25 Q55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-04-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env, nep-ipr and nep-tid
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oec:envaaa:161-en

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