A strident call-to-arms by Cleantech Group Chairman Nicholas Parker opened this week's Cleantech Forum XVII in Brussels, Belgium on a note of urgency.

More than 350 attendees to the information sharing and relationship building event were told current efforts to counter climate change and resource scarcity were not enough, and that more capital, technology and progressive policies were needed quickly.

“We cannot trade our way out of this problem. While cap and trade is a useful tool, it’s not the solution. When the music stops, we have to innovate our way out,” Parker said in a keynote, calling for renewable technologies to scale to meaningful levels in order to displace incumbents.

“We have to redesign products to systems, the way cities work, the way communities work, the way corporations are organized and the way industrial systems operate,” he also said.

“And if we don’t get it right in India and China, it won’t matter what we do here in Europe, North America and elsewhere.”

Parker presented data showing the pace of climate change was accelerating, while skyrocketing demand for precious metals and other commodities—not only food—was causing shortages around the world.

Attendees take advantage of one of many networking breaks in the downtown La Plaza Hotel (photo) »

The Forum was hardly all doom and gloom, however.

Practical sessions ranged from which European public exchange cleantech vendors should consider listing on (with representatives from the London Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, NASDAQ OMX and Deutsche Börse on stage to shoot it out) to technology sessions on the future of road transport and opportunities in industrial water treatment.

And, as always, there was plenty of time for networking.

Matthew Brown of the LIFE business accelerator chats with Erik Olsson and Malin Olofsson of the Swedish Energy Agency (photo) »

As at previous Cleantech Forums, there were brief pitches onstage from companies seeking funding (see Cleantech on display in Brussels.)

Companies were selected by investors on the Forum's special selection committee.

Presentations from companies such as heat recovery company Sofame Technologies, water company EnviroTower and latex glove recycler EcoGlove were also interspersed throughout the event's two-day agenda.

Patrick A. Alley and James-Paul Galligan of Global Oil share a smile with Richard R. Robin of EcoGlove (photo) »

At a special gala dinner, the Cleantech European Corporation of The Year Award was presented to the Virgin Group for its extensive investments in cleantech, its committment to and experimentation with biofuels and its progressive internal policies. Virgin CEO Stephen Murphy accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Attendees dine at a special gala dinner at the Brussels Stock Exchange (photo) »

Renewable energy impresario Hermann Scheer accepted the Cleantech Pioneer of The Year award (see Disregard analysts, says Scheer.)

Markus Thill of Robert Bosch GmbH and Rafael Koene of M&A firm Essent Strategy scheme together (photo) »

A number of cleantech companies were invited to exhibit their wares to attendees of the event, including two electric vehicle startups.

DuraCar showed the company's new all-electric delivery van. The company also received the Most Promising Technology award—given at every Cleantech Forum and representing the company voted most promising by attending investors.

Electric sports car vendor Tesla Motors used the event to introduce its new all-electric-zero-to-60-MPH-in-3.9-seconds Roadster, promising to deliver 250 vehicles to European customers willing to pay €99,000 for the vehicle.

Your correspondent pauses briefly in his search for the key to the bright white Tesla Roadster at the event (photo) »

The Cleantech Forum in Brussels concluded this week.

The next Cleantech Forum will be held in Washington, D.C. in September (details here.)