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Zahlreiche Untersuchungen prognostizieren einen erheblichen Anstieg des globalen Ressourcenverbrauchs in den nächsten Jahrzehnten, wenn es nicht zu grundlegenden Veränderungen der Wirtschaftsweise kommt. Gegensteuern ist möglich durch politische Maßnahmen und einem Umdenken sowohl in der Produkt-Dienstleistungs-Entwicklung, bei der Gestaltung von Wertschöpfungsketten als auch im Konsumverhalten. Das Projekt BilRess identifiziert und entwickelt Angebote für alle Bildungsbereiche zum Thema Ressourcenschonung und Ressourceneffizienz.
Die in diesem Artikel vorgenommene Bestandsaufnahme der verschiedenen Bildungsangebote und die Analyse der Bildungsbereiche zeigt eine Vielzahl von Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten und Anknüpfungspunkte zur Implementierung von Ressourcenschonung und -effizienz in die unterschiedlichen Bildungsbereiche. Dabei wird immer wieder deutlich, dass die einzelnen Bildungsbereiche nicht isoliert betrachtet werden können. Die herausgearbeiteten Handlungsempfehlungen fließen in die Erstellung einer "Roadmap Ressourcenbildung" ein.
This report details current and potential recycling of critical metals in Waste from Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The term "critical metals" is used instead of "rare metals" because the concept incorporates not only supply but also demand. The EU needs access to these metals and recycling can be an important part of the supply-strategy.
The study shows that the current recycling of critical metals in WEEE is very low, but that the potential amount could be increased threefold within 2015. Improving of the recycling of critical metals requires a variety of initiatives tackling different week point in the overall process: better collection, better pre-processing and end-processing, limiting the export of WEEE or used products out of the EU and better design of the EEE-products.
This study shows that data on sales volumes, WEEE composition and the composition of critical metals in EEE is currently insufficient for detailed analysis and monitoring, and addressing this should be a priority. Further, more detailed information on components used in EEE product groups would enable recyclers to identify and access the most materially important components. Dialog between recyclers, smelters and manufacturers could also facilitate product design that supports the recycling process.
In diesem Gutachten wurde untersucht, welche Optionen zur Gestaltung eines marktbasierten haushaltsunabhängigen Verpflichtungsansatzes zur CO2-Minderung im deutschen Gebäudebestand bestehen. Die Analyse erfolgte technologieoffen und berücksichtigte neben Sanierungsmaßnahmen zur Steigerung der Energieeffizienz auch einen verstärkten Einsatz CO2-armer/erneuerbarer Energien. Das Verpflichtungssystem soll in der Lage sein, die bestehenden Treibhausgas (THG)-Minderungsziele im Gebäudebestand möglichst kostengünstig auf kurz- und langfristig sinnvolle Weise zu erreichen und sich gut in das bestehende Förderinstrumentarium integrieren lassen.
Einführung
(2014)
Ressourcenkooperation : Ressourceneffizienz in der Wertschöpfungskette durch Unternehmenskooperation
(2014)
Die Krisen der internationalen Finanzmärkte waren 1998 noch nicht Realität, Atomkraft galt in Deutschland unter der Regierung Kohl immer noch als Zukunftsoption für die kommenden Jahrzehnte und für eine Bundespolitik in Richtung Energiewende war weit und breit kein gesellschaftlicher Konsens in Sicht. Dennoch gab es schon vor der Energiewende Projekte, die sich der Steigerung der Energieeffizienz verschrieben hatten. Mit kombinierten Einspar- und Solarkraftwerken, die an Schulen mit finanzieller Bürgerbeteiligungen entstehen, sollte der Weg zu einer umweltverträglichen Energieversorgung für vier Schulen in Nordrhein-Westfalen eingeschlagen werden. Wie der vorliegende Projektbericht zeigt, konnten die Ziele des Vorhabens erreicht werden: Steigerung der Endenergieeffizienz, verstärkte Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien und der Einsatz dezentraler Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung.
Im folgenden Beitrag untersuchen wir die Bürgerbeteiligung im Projekt InnovationCity Ruhr - Modellstadt Bottrop. Im Frühjahr 2010 hat der Initiativkreis Ruhr einen Wettbewerb ausgerufen, bei dem die "Klimastadt der Zukunft" gefunden werden sollte. Ausschlaggebend für den Sieg der Ruhrgebietsstadt war das vorgelegte Konzept, welches Gesellschaft, Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft verbindet. Ziel von InnovationCity Ruhr ist es die CO2-Emmissionen in der Stadt bis 2020 zu halbieren und somit eine Vorbildfunktion zur sozial-ökologischen Transformation für das gesamte Ruhrgebiet einzunehmen. Anhand der (Zwischen-) Ergebnisse zweier Untersuchungen (Best 2013; Roose 2014) werden wir veranschaulichen, wie die Bottroper Bevölkerung die Beteiligungsmöglichkeiten im Projekt wahrnimmt. Darüber hinaus decken wir Hemmschwellen auf und geben Empfehlungen zu einer verbesserten Aktivierung der und breiten Beteiligung durch die Bürgerinnen und Bürger.
In the debate about the transformation process towards sustainability manifold eco social economic concepts are discussed. Most of them lay claim to democracy, to processes of inclusion of all who are affected. But do alternative concepts automatically lead to democracy, overcoming hierarchies, power and exclusion? Based on this question, the article discusses two eco social concepts: Vorsorgendes Wirtschaften and Small new Social Contracts. It throws the light on traps like repressive or instrumental forms of inclusion and ends with three clues for a transformative democratic way to sustainability.
Extern? : Weshalb und inwiefern moderne Gesellschaften Externalisierung brauchen und erzeugen
(2014)
Although there are already some qualification offers available for enterprises to support resource efficiency innovations, the high potentials that can be identified especially for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not been activated until now. As successful change lies in the hands of humans, the main aim of vocational education has to be the promotion of organisational and cultural changes in the enterprises. As there is already a small but increasing number of enterprises that perform very well in resource efficiency innovations one question arises: What are typical characteristics of those enterprises? Leaning on a good-practice approach, the project "ResourceCulture" is going to prove or falsify the hypothesis that enterprises being successful with resource efficiency innovations have a specific culture of trust, which substantially contributes to innovation processes, or even initially enables them. Detailed empirical field research will light up which correlations between resource efficiency, innovation and cultures of trust can be found and will offer important aspects for the improvement of management instruments and qualification concepts for workplace training. The project seizes qualification needs that were likewise mentioned by enterprises and consultants, regarding the implementation of resource efficiency. This article - based on first empirical field research results - derives preliminary indications for the design of the qualification module for the target groups resource efficiency consultants and managers. On this basis and in order to implement "ResourceCulture" conceptual and methodological starting points for workplace training are outlined.
It is widely accepted that environmental awareness is essential, yet does not inevitably lead to responsible use of resources. Additional factors on the individual level include the meaning constructed by the term "resources" and the individual and social norms that influence the relevant behavior. Current didactic concepts do not take into account such aspects. Therefore, this article uses a didactic-psychological approach for designing an educational concept for raising awareness for a responsible use of natural resources. Combining insights of environmental psychology and of constructivist didactics, a general principal of "norm-oriented interpretation learning" is outlined to enrich the didactic debate on responsible and efficient resource use. Based on the presentation of a qualifying module for resource efficiency consultants as a practical example of resource education, a new didactical approach, namely "open-didactic exploration" (short form: ODE) is introduced. The article discusses the theory-based elements of ODE and illustrates a step by step process for designing educational materials. This adds to the theoretical debate about a didactic design for resource oriented education. Furthermore, this method can be directly used by practitioners developing education and training material (e.g., teachers, trainers in vocational education). The Wuppertal Institute developed and applied this method in numerous projects. The conclusion and outlook discusses future expectations and scope of the introduced ODE method as a contribution to foster "norm-oriented interpretation learning", suggesting perspectives for further development.
Qualifizierungsmodul RessourcenKultur : Materialien zur Kompetenzentwicklung für Praktiker/-innen
(2014)
Techno-economic feasibility study of solar and wind based irrigation systems in Northern Colombia
(2014)
Water pumping systems powered by solar and wind energy are a clean, decentralized and economic alternative for the irrigation of crops. The intense droughts experienced in the last years in Northern Colombia due to particularly strong Nino Phenomena have reactivated the need of reliable water pumping irrigation systems in that region. This study aims to assess the techno economic feasibility of solar and wind based pumping irrigation system, taking as case study the Municipality of Piojo in the Atlantico department. In the first stage of the study the irrigation water requirements were determined by using the software CROPWAT based on two different crop patterns that represent existing feasible alternatives for small farmers of the region: i) a common crop pattern, which represent the current average distribution of crops for subsistence farming and ii) a fruit cash crop pattern that comprises crops for which well established markets in the region exist. Solar wind and diesel based pumping systems were sized based on the crop water demands for 1 ha. The unit irrigation costs of the three technologies, the two crop patterns and the three irrigation methods (surface, sprinkler and drip) were calculated and compared. The economical analysis was complemented with a cost-benefit analysis over 20 years. Our results show that both renewable energy based pumping systems (wind and solar) can cover the irrigation water demands of small farmers in the region. The economical analysis shows that windmills are the most cost effective solution followed by the solar pumping system. Diesel pumping system was the less cost effective, even though it does not comprise investment in water storage tank. The cost benefit analysis demonstrates that any irrigation system is financially unfeasible when providing water to a common crop pattern. In case of the fruit cash crop scenario the highest dividends were obtained by the wind pumping system and the lowest dividends by the diesel pumping system. The lowest payback period was obtained by the windmill after 7 years and could be even feasible after the fifth year if the surplus water would be used to irrigate larger areas. Dividends obtained in a fruit cash crop scenario with irrigation after 20 years were in the range of EUR 5200 and EUR 11200 higher than dividends obtained by the same crop pattern but without irrigation.
In the light of the tremendous challenges facing the energy systems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a number of concepts, roadmaps and scenario studies have emerged, describing potential transformation pathways towards a more sustainable, renewable-based, energy supply future in the region. Our article uses the scientific approach of "transition research" to analyze the most pertinent publications and concepts in this field to identify the key drivers and barriers for the transformation of the regional energy systems. The analysis likewise includes an assessment of possible indicators and indexes that can be used to monitor the sustainability of the transformation process of MENA energy systems.
The diversification of the national electricity generation mix has risen to the top of Tunisia's energy planning agenda. Presently, natural gas provides 96% of the primary energy for electric power generation, but declining domestic gas reserves and a soaring electricity demand are urgently calling for alternative fuel strategies. Currently discussed diversification options include the introduction of coal and nuclear power plants and/or an increased use of renewable energies. This article presents a methodology to assess different electricity system transformation strategies. By combining an electricity market model with a subsequent multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), we evaluate five power mix scenarios regarding power generation costs as well as non-economic dimensions such as energy security, environmental impact and social welfare effects. Based on criteria valuations obtained during consultations with Tunisian stakeholders, a final, best-ranking electricity scenario was selected, consisting of 15% wind, 15% solar and 70% natural gas-generated electricity in the national power mix by 2030.
Global warming, the overall extraction of minerals and the expansion of cultivated land for biomass harvest are growing globally. These "Big Three" represent key environmental pressures which may lead to a continuous degradation of the living environment, if not controlled at levels with acceptable low risk. The situation is complex, because countries and regions consume products which require resources such as minerals and land in various parts of the world. Nevertheless, it is possible to measure the global resource use which is associated with the domestic consumption. In order to inform policies at the national and supranational level whether it may be necessary to adjust the incentive framework for industry and households, reference data are needed to compare the status quo of their countries with what may be deemed acceptable at a global level. This chapter outlines a rationale for the derivation of possible long-term targets for total material consumption of abiotic materials (TMCabiot) and global land use for crops (GLUcropland). The indicated targets are expressed in tentative per capita values which may serve as a first orientation and basis for further debate and research.
The current flow of carbon for the production, use, and waste management of polymer-based products is still mostly linear from the lithosphere to the atmosphere with rather low rates of material recycling. In view of a limited future supply of biomass, this article outlines the options to further develop carbon recycling (C-REC). The focus is on carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and use for synthesis of platform chemicals to produce polymers. CO2 may be captured from exhaust gases after combustion or fermentation of waste in order to establish a C-REC system within the technosphere. As a long-term option, an external C-REC system can be developed by capturing atmospheric CO2. A central role may be expected from renewable methane (or synthetic natural gas), which is increasingly being used for storage and transport of energy, but may also be used for renewable carbon supply for chemistry. The energy input for the C-REC processes can come from wind and solar systems, in particular, power for the production of hydrogen, which is combined with CO2 to produce various hydrocarbons. Most of the technological components for the system already exist, and, first modules for renewable fuel and polymer production systems are underway in Germany. This article outlines how the system may further develop over the medium to long term, from a piggy-back add-on flow system toward a self-carrying recycling system, which has the potential to provide the material and energy backbone of future societies. A critical bottleneck seems to be the capacity and costs of renewable energy supply, rather than the costs of carbon capture.
Ein sorgsamer Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen gehört zu den Kernthemen von Industrial Ecology. Mit der jeweiligen Betrachtungsebene, vom Unternehmen bis zur globalen Ebene, wechseln die Herausforderungen, Methoden und Lösungsansätze. Gibt es auch Indikatoren, die skalenübergreifend angewandt werden können?
In contrast to the original investigation by William Stanley Jevons, compensations of energy savings due to improved energy efficiency are mostly analyzed by providing energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions. In support of a sustainable resource management, this paper analyzes so-called rebound effects based on resource use. Material flows and associated expenditures by households allow for calculating resource intensities and marginal propensities to consume. Marginal propensities to consume are estimated from data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) in order to account for indirect rebound effects for food, housing and mobility. Resource intensities are estimated in terms of total material requirements per household final consumption expenditures along the Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose (COICOP). Eventually, rebound effects are indicated on the basis of published saving scenarios in resource and energy demand for Germany. In sum, compensations due to rebound effects are lowest for food while the highest compensations are induced for mobility. This is foremost the result of a relatively high resource intensity of food and a relatively low resource intensity in mobility. Findings are provided by giving various propensity scenarios in order to cope with income differences in Germany. The author concludes that policies on resource conservation need to reconsider rebound effects under the aspect of social heterogeneity.
Purpose - Since the registration of the first clean development mechanism (CDM) project in 2004, the CDM has seen a dynamic expansion: the CDM pipeline currently comprises 6,725 projects generating 2.73 billion certified emission reductions (CERs) up to 2012. These CERs result in a substantial financial flow from Annex I to Non-Annex I countries. But CDM projects also result in investments in low carbon technologies, a substantial share of which is focused on the energy sector. The total installed capacity of all CDM projects amounts to 288,944 MW. However, the CDM is not widely taken up in Africa. This holds true for Africa's share in the CDM project pipeline (2.62 per cent), for Africa's share in CERs generated up to 2012 (3.58 per cent) and for the normalized CERs per capita, per country. Two hypothesizes are commonly discussed: first, the continent features low per capita emissions and low abatement potentials. Second, African countries may be hampered by weak institutional frameworks. This article reviews both hypotheses and presents new empirical data. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach - Investigating the greenhouse gas (GHS) abatement potential of 16 energy-related sectors for 11 selected least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa shows a total theoretical CDM potential of 128.6 million CERs per year. Analyzing investment indicators confirms that most countries are impeded by below average investment conditions.
Findings - It is concluded that Africa offers a considerable range of substantial abatement potentials. However, the weak institutional framework is limiting the uptake of the CDM in Africa. This is underpinned by an analysis which shows if a CDM sector has high investment cost, Africa will have a low share in the sector. If the sector has low investment needs per CER, Africa's share in the CDM sector will be bigger. Investment needs and Africa's share in the pipeline feature a negative correlation.
Research limitations/implications - Supporting CDM development in Africa should not be constraint to technical assistance. It will be crucial to develop an integrated financing approach, comprising the CDM as a co-financing mechanism, to overcome the institutional challenges.
Originality/value - Until today, there are few empirical studies that use concrete criteria and indicators to show why the CDM is underrepresented in Africa. The work presented here contributes to filling this gap.
Sustainability policy in the early 2000s is based on and therefore influenced by scientific literature on "transition". The importance of this link has inspired the authors to explore the structure of cooperating authors and citation networks in the field. In order to understand "transition" literature, we compare it with an alternative term for change, "transformation", which is also used in the context of socio-technical shifts towards sustainability. We expose the different structures of these fields with an overview of keywords, key references, key authors, and the coherence between references and authors. By analysing co-author and citation networks, we find large differences in these groups of documents. The transition literature is characterised by a large network of directly and indirectly cooperating authors with clear clusters; transformation literature contains smaller author networks. Key transition authors are predominantly Dutch. They repeatedly write together and cite each other's work. The transition literature is tightly knit with high degrees of internal references and a clearly distinguishable core. Transformation literature has fewer connections between authors and articles. The connecting articles, each with many global citations, form its basis. This analysis can be used as a step to continue the debate on the role of transition and transformation literature in sustainability and renewable energy policy. The transformation literature teaches us that older streams of thought are still relevant and may be used as "glue" for linking change with respect to sustainable energy to wider developments. Rediscovering existing literature in new combinations may lead to promising new views on sustainable energy.
This paper reflects the socio-economic power of renewable energy production cooperatives for a wider energy system transformation in Germany. Energy cooperatives have turned into important supporters of renewable and decentralised energy structures, due to their strong growth since the year 2006, their participation in local renewable energy projects and their democratic awareness. The cooperative form of coordinating local renewable energy projects applies to a decentralised energy system that is managed by many smaller firms - a system concept that is preferred by the majority of German citizens. However, there is not enough knowledge to understand to what extent this organisational form is able to unify a broad group of actors in promoting a renewable energy system (societal power) and to gather capital for elaborating renewable energy supply structures (economic power).
The reflection is based on an empirical assessment of all energy cooperatives that were registered in Germany before 31st December 2013. Their growth dynamic and their business approaches are discussed. A special focus lies on renewable energy production cooperatives. The study presents the development of their members, their capital, their profit and loss, as well as their investment intensity over a timeframe of three years (2010-2012). The socio-economic potential of renewable energy production cooperatives for supporting a renewable energy system is discussed against the background of empirical results.
Energieszenarien können in der Diskussion zur Energiewende Orientierung bieten und Entscheidungen unterstützen. Fehlende Transparenz sowie die Vielzahl und Heterogenität der verfügbaren Studien erschweren es jedoch, diese angemessen zu interpretieren. Das vorliegende Diskussionspapier bietet Nutzern eine Hilfestellung und leistet einen Beitrag zur Entwicklung eines grundsätzlichen Analyse- und Interpretationsrahmens, der auch in anderen thematischen Bereichen angewendet werden kann.
Among the factors that decelerate progress of CCS demonstration and deployment is the lack of public acceptance of local projects in Germany as well as in other countries. The study presented here aims to take the issue of public CCS perceptions further by empirically investigating the relevance of different specifications of the three main steps of the CCS chain, i.e. capture, transport and storage. An experimental approach is chosen and applied in an online survey with a representative sample from Germany with 1830 participants. With regard to possible CO2 sources we varied whether the CO2 of a specific setting is captured i) as part of an energy-intensive industry process (e.g. production of steel or cement), ii) from a power plant running on biomass, or iii) a coal-fired power plant. For transport, half of the settings described made reference to transport of CO2 via pipelines, the other half did not provide information about transport. With regard to storage the setting descriptions i) either explained that CO2 can be stored in saline aquifers, ii) can be used to enhance gas production from an emptying natural gas field or iii) can be stored in a depleted natural gas field. We find that overall the average of the ratings for perception of the settings fall into the neutral part of the answering scale. If the source of CO2 is a coal-fired power plant the setting is perceived less positively than if it includes biomass or industry. A significant interaction effect between transport and storage specifications is observed. This points out that storage in saline aquifers is perceived more negatively than a combination with enhanced gas recovery while storage in a depleted natural gas field is rated less positively if a pipeline is mentioned and more positively if no transport option is mentioned.
Energy for transport
(2014)
Global transportation energy use is steeply rising, mainly as a result of increasing population and economic activity. Petroleum fuels remain the dominant energy source, reflecting advantages such as high energy density, low cost, and market availability. The movement of people and freight makes a major contribution to economic development and social well-being, but it also negatively impacts climate change, air quality, health, social cohesion, and safety. Following a review published 20 years ago in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources (then named the Annual Review of Energy and the Environment) by Lee Schipper, we examine current trends and potential futures, revising several major global transport/energy reports. There are significant opportunities to slow travel growth and improve efficiency. Alternatives to petroleum exist but have different characteristics in terms of availability, cost, distribution, infrastructure, storage, and public acceptability. The transition to low-carbon equitable and sustainable transport will take time but can be fostered by numerous short- and medium-term strategies that would benefit energy security, health, productivity, and sustainability.
Sustainable strategies
(2014)
At current primary steel production levels, the iron and steel industry will fail to meet the 80% emission reduction target without introduction of breakthrough technologies (Wörtler et al., 2013: 19). The current research analyses the technical and economical long-term potential of innovative primary steel production technologies in Germany throughout 2100. Techno-economic models are used to simulate three innovative ore-based steelmaking routes verses the reference blast furnace route (BF-BOF). The innovative routes in focus are blast furnace with CCS (BF-CCS), hydrogen direct reduction (H-DR), and iron ore electrolysis (EW). Energy and mass flows for the production of one tonne of crude steel (CS) are combined with hypothetical price, cost, and revenue data to evaluate the production routes economically, technically, and environmentally. This is a purely theoretical analysis and hence further external factors that may influence practical implementation or profitability are not considered.
Different future developments are considered by using three scenarios, representing an ambitious, a moderate, and a conservative transformation of the German energy sector. In general, looking into the future bares various uncertainties which should be reflected in a suitable manner.
According to the present scenario analysis, chances are that with rising prices for coal and CO2 allowances BF-BOF and even BF-CCS become unprofitable by mid-century. With a high share of renewable energy sources and high prices for CO2 allowances, H-DR and EW become economically attractive in the second half of the current century, when BF-based routes are long unprofitable. Energy and raw material efficiency is significantly higher for H-DR and EW and furthermore, the 80% reduction target by 2050 can be achieved in the ambitious scenario. However, high investment costs and high dependency on electricity prices prohibit a profitable implementation before 2030–2040 without further subsidies. EW is the most energy and resource efficient production route. Since continuous electricity is needed for the continuous operation, the electricity costs are 20–40% higher than for H-DR (with high-capacity hydrogen storage units). Even though hydrogen production implies efficiency losses compared to the EW route, the decoupling of hydrogen production from continuous operation of the steel plant through hydrogen storage offers the opportunity to use cheap excess renewable electricity. This makes the H-DR economically and environmentally the most attractive route and provides a crucial contribution to stabilize the grid and to store excess energy in a 100% renewable energy system.
Industry
(2014)
The buildings sector accounts for more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the well-known economic viability of many energy-efficient renovation measures which offer great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting climate protection targets, there is a relatively low level of implementation. We performed a citation network analysis in order to identify papers at the research front and intellectual base on energy-efficient renovation in four areas: technical options, understanding decisions, incentive instruments, and models and simulation. The literature was reviewed in order to understand what is needed to sufficiently increase the number of domestic energy-efficient renovations and to identify potential research gaps. Our findings show that the literature on energy-efficient renovation gained considerable momentum in the last decade, but lacks a deep understanding of the uncertainties surrounding economic aspects and non-economic factors driving renovation decisions of homeowners. The analysis indicates that the (socio-economic) energy saving potential and profitability of energy-efficient renovation measures is lower than generally expected. It is suggested that this can be accounted for by the failure to understand and consider the underpinning influences of energy-consuming behaviour in calculations. Homeowners׳ decisions to renovate are shaped by an alliance of economic and non-economic goals. Therefore, existing incentives, typically targeting the economic viability of measures, have brought little success. A deeper understanding of the decisions of homeowners is needed and we suggest that a simulation model which maps the decision-making processes of homeowners may result in refining existing instruments or developing new innovative mechanisms to tackle the situation.
Living Labs for Sustainable Development aim to integrate users and actors for the successful generation of low-resource innovations in production-consumption systems. This paper investigates potentials of and measures towards the realization of a German Living Lab infrastructure to support actor-integrated sustainability research and innovations in Germany. Information was primarily derived from extensive dialog with experts from the fields of innovation, sustainable development and the Living Lab community (operators, users, etc.), which was facilitated through interviews and workshops. A status quo analysis revealed that, generally, the sustainability and Living Lab communities are hardly intertwined. Twelve Living Labs that explicitly consider sustainability aspects were identified. The application fields "Living and Working", "Town, Region and Mobility", and “Retail and Gastronomy" were identified as particularly suitable for investigation in Living Labs and highly relevant in terms of resource efficiency. Based on the analyses of drivers and barriers and SWOT, keystones for the development of a research infrastructure for user integrated development of sustainable products and services were formulated. Suggested strategies and measures include targeted funding programs for actor-integrated, socio-technical research based on a Living Lab network, a communication campaign, and programs to foster networking and the inclusion of SMEs.
The limited data availability, transparency and harmonisation in environmental assessments of products are bottlenecks for improved environmental and sustainability governance. Despite the progressive developments of information and communication systems, reliable, accurate, up-to-date data for assessing the resource use of products and services is still lacking. Resource accounting systems often have limited scope on single companies, processes or products. This paper presents an approach for an automated bottom-up accounting system for measuring resource efficiency at product and service level. It is based on a global collaborative network of resource accounting nodes connected for the accounting of natural resources use for products and services. Using an Internet-based service-oriented architecture, relevant and timely data is passed from supplier to customer recursively through the whole value chain to produce an "ecoCost" for each product or service. This conceptual paper reflects first experiences from partners of the myEcoCost project funded by European Commission (www.myecocost.com).
Große Anteile der Gesamtnachfrage nach kritischen Metallen werden durch die Elektro- und Elektronikindustrie verantwortet, weshalb diese Geräte eine bedeutende Sekundärrohstoffquelle darstellen. Bei auffallend niedrigen Recyclingquoten und gleichzeitigen Versorgungsrisiken kritischer Metalle nimmt die Schließung dieser Stoffkreisläufe eine wichtige Stellung für die deutsche Wirtschaft ein. Die Verluste der Metalle treten von der Sammlung bis zum Materialrecycling entlang der gesamten Entsorgungskette der Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräte auf.
Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist es, Kriterien für die Gestaltung der Sammelgruppenstruktur der Geräte zu entwickeln und damit erhöhte Rückgewinnungsmengen solcher Metalle erreichen zu können. Ziel ist es zu klären, welche produktspezifischen, in Verkehr gebrachten und erfassbaren Ressourcen-Mengenpotenziale existieren, wie sich die Demontagefähigkeit der Produkte gestaltet und wie sich mit diesen ressourcenschutzorientierten Planungskriterien die Sammelgruppen strukturieren lassen. Die Untersuchung erfolgt als Momentaufnahme am Beispiel von Indium und ausgewählter Produkte. Damit wird eine Vorgehensweise aufgezeigt und Erkenntnisse herausgearbeitet, die modellhaft auf sämtliche kritische Metalle und Elektro- und Elektronikaltprodukte übertragbar sind.
Insgesamt wird in den Ergebnissen deutlich, dass mit einer Gruppierung der Produkte nach Ressourcen-Mengenpotenzial und Demontagefähigkeit der in Verkehr gebrachten Geräte eine vorausschauende und ressourceneffiziente Planung der Behandlungswege der einzelnen Sammelgruppen ermöglicht wird.
Die energetische Sanierung von Wohnhäusern wird in vielen Städten vorangetrieben. Was im Hinblick auf Energieeffizienz sinnvoll ist, kann aufgrund steigender Mietkosten zu einer Verdrängung der alteingesessenen Bewohner(innen) führen. Damit energetische Sanierung nicht dazu beiträgt, soziale Ungleichheiten auf Stadt- und Quartiersebene zu erhöhen, bedarf es sozialpolitischer Regelungen und Förderinstrumente. Doch fehlt noch eine fundierte Datenbasis, die es erlaubt, entsprechende Empfehlungen zu geben.
Nachhaltigkeit scheitert nicht wirklich an der Erkenntnis. Seit den siebziger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts werden die auf lange Sicht negativen Auswirkungen kurzfristiger Wohlstandsgewinne weltweit problematisiert, besonders in Bezug auf unsere Umwelt. Heute werden zunehmend auch die sozialen, kulturellen und individuellen Schäden unserer aktuellen Form von Entwicklung diskutiert, inzwischen bereits sichtbar. Nachhaltigkeit scheitert also an der Umsetzung. In diesem Beitrag möchte ich deshalb untersuchen, warum in Deutschland Vorschläge für eine institutionelle Stärkung dieser Agenda und Ziele trotzdem immer wieder so harsch zurückgewiesen werden.
Die Bekämpfung der Ursachen des anthropogenen Klimawandels ist eine globale Aufgabe. Konkretes Handeln im Klimaschutz muss allerdings vor Ort geschehen, getragen von engagierten Menschen und Institutionen, unterstützt und koordiniert von einer wesentlichen lokalen Schnittstelle zwischen Politik und Gesellschaft - der Kommune.
Um für die lokalen Klimaschutzaktivitäten einen strategischen Rahmen und eine perspektivische Handlungsgrundlage zu schaffen, sind bereits zahlreiche integrierte Klimaschutzkonzepte in deutschen Kommunen erstellt worden, welche über die "Richtlinie zur Förderung von Klimaschutzprojekten in sozialen, kulturellen und öffentlichen Einrichtungen" (sog. Kommunalrichtlinie) der Nationalen Klimaschutzinitiative des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit gefördert werden.
Doch auch ohne explizite Erstellung eines Klimaschutzkonzeptes werden in vielen Kommunen Konzepte erarbeitet und Maßnahmen durchgeführt, welche gleichwohl dem Klimaschutz dienen - wenngleich diese Begrifflichkeit nicht immer strategischer bzw. normativer Leitsatz ist: So setzen sich die unteren Naturschutzbehörden beispielsweise im Rahmen des Bundesnaturschutzgesetzes für die Stadtklimatologie ein, Hochbauämter sorgen sich um die Energieeffizienz in kommunalen Liegenschaften und lokale Stadtwerke nehmen den Ausbau der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung der eigenen Heizkraftwerke in Angriff.
In Anbetracht der mannigfaltigen Aktivitäten im kommunalen Klimaschutz wird in vorliegender Arbeit untersucht, ob und inwieweit integrierte Klimaschutzkonzepte zur Erreichung der lokalen Klimaschutzziele einen zusätzlichen Beitrag leisten - einen Beitrag für den Klimaschutz, welcher ohne die Erstellung eines lokalspezifischen, exklusiven Klimaschutzkonzeptes nicht generiert worden wäre.
Die Untersuchung zusätzlich generierter Effekte erfolgt anhand einer qualitativ-interpretativen Analyse dreier deutscher Kommunen unter Zuhilfenahme eines kommunalen Klimaschutzstrukturmodells. Neben der Beschreibung der gewonnenen empirischen Erkenntnisse werden potenzielle Erfolgskriterien identifiziert, welche das eigene Klimaschutzkonzept zu einem durchsetzungsstarken und unverzichtbaren Instrument des kommunalen Klimaschutzes werden lassen.
Über 30 Prozent der gesamten deutschen CO2-Emissionen entstehen durch das Beheizen von Gebäuden. Während es für Wohngebäude genaue Verbrauchszahlen und konkrete politische Energieeinsparziele gibt, wird der Bestand an Nichtwohngebäuden - wie Bürogebäude, Fabrikhallen und Kliniken, aber auch Handelsflächen - bisher in Untersuchungen und Prognosen stark vernachlässigt. Der Umweltwissenschaftler und Bauingenieur Achim Hamann kommt in seiner Studie anhand von detaillierten Untersuchungsergebnissen für den Wuppertaler Stadtteil Vohwinkel zu einer Einschätzung für Wuppertal und darüber hinaus für ganz Deutschland. Demnach beträgt der Anteil der CO2-Emissionen aus der Erzeugung der Raumwärme für Nichtwohngebäude 13 Prozent der CO2-Gesamtemissionen. Fast die Hälfte aller Raumwärme-Emissionen entsteht bei Nichtwohngebäuden.
Auf Grundlage der ermittelten Bestandsdaten beschreibt Achim Hamann kurzfristige Sanierungspotenziale, entwirft CO2-Minderungsszenarien bis zum Jahr 2050 und leistet so einen wichtigen Beitrag dafür, dass Nichtwohngebäude bei Energieeinsparzielen angemessen berücksichtigt werden.
Based on a description of the starting position and the aim of the research project "Further development of a concept for monitoring and reporting of the International Climate Initiative (ICI)", this final report summarises the results generated in this endeavour. It also describes the key activities which were conducted to work out the results. In two years time, the project aimed to develop a scientifically sound and at the same time practical monitoring and reporting concept which should deliver information about the impacts of the ICI. It started from an initial analysis of the current ICI approach and of the monitoring and reporting approaches applied in other climate finance instruments.
This policy brief discusses the opportunities and obligations of host country DNAs within the Standardized Baselines framework and identifies options for strategic intervention. Host countries can, for example, intervene by selecting the right sectors for which they develop an SB in the first place. DNAs can also tailor their SBs to some extent to support certain technologies, fuels or feed- stocks over others by choosing the right level of aggregation of the sector to be covered. Last but not least, the paper discusses the DNAs' role in managing the data for the development and maintenance of the SB. Host countries should take full advantage of potential synergies between data collection for SBs and other data intensive processes such as national greenhouse gas inventories or national statistics. SBs and the data gathered in the process of developing them can also be a basis for the development of other mitigation instruments such as Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) or New Market Mechanisms (NMM).
Was kann eine Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung in einem lokalen Kontext konkret bedeuten? Welche Rolle spielen Hochschulen in den kommunalen Bildungslandschaften und der lokalen Verbreiterung von BNE? Diesen Fragen wird anhand der Erfahrungen mit BNE in Erfurt nachgegangen. Am Beispiel des Projekts "Qualitätssicherung und Qualitätsmanagement in der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung" (QuaSi BNE) wird gezeigt, wie BNE-Ziele in kommunale und universitäre Bildungskonzepte integriert, mit Hilfe von erfahrungsorientierten Lehr- und Lernmethoden qualitätsvoll implementiert und durch Netzwerke stabilisiert werden und welche Herausforderungen und Potentiale damit verbunden sein können.
Generating social practices
(2014)
Changing consumer behaviour is key to reducing the environmental effects of industrialised societies. Social practice theories provide an integrated approach to understanding consumer behaviour. The mechanisms underlying the emergence and diffusion of social practices are however until now poorly understood. This paper presents a conceptual framework and an abstract agent-based simulation model for generating social practices which use and extend approaches from social practice theories. The main results are twofold. First, the simulation model is able to generate social practices, what confirms that the conceptual framework captures relevant elements and processes. Second, a new mechanism for behavioural lock-in is identified that provides additional insights into the widely acknowledged challenge of changing social practices and respective consumption.
The lack of suitable tools to assess sustainable mobility measures' costs, benefits and overall impacts is a significant factor impeding their implementation. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is often applied to large-scale infrastructure projects, but does not capture all relevant socio-economic impacts. Small-scale but potentially highly cost-effective measures often do not have the critical mass to warrant a thorough cost-benefit analysis. This paper reviews existing assessment methodologies, including their advantages, limitations and application to different urban mobility measures, and current assessment practice in cities based on survey results. Based on these analyses, a holistic approach for project appraisal is proposed, consisting of aspects of a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) and CBA and applicable to a variety of urban mobility measures.
There are a variety of economic and ecological benefits to increased resource efficiency. Social, institutional and technical innovations can all contribute towards efficiency increases. Companies face different hurdles in fostering such innovation. Small and medium-sized companies are subject to specific constraints that may prevent them from benefiting from innovation-induced resource efficiency improvements. Qualitative interviews were conducted among German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intermediaries to identify barriers for resource efficiency innovations and to elaborate a policy mix at the federal level that could help SMEs to overcome these. We found five major barriers to resource efficiency innovations in German SMEs, comprising deficits in innovation culture, inter-firm cooperation along the value chain, finance, awareness and take-up of government funds. We propose a distinct policy mix as a response to this situation. The policy mix comprises the interlocking and synergistic elements of government funding schemes, innovation agents and innovation laboratories.
Klimaschutz-Teilkonzept "Klimafreundliche Mobilität" für die Stadt Wolfsburg : Abschlussbericht
(2014)
Mit dem Klimaschutz-Teilkonzept zur klimafreundlichen Mobilität waren Jung Stadtkonzepte und Wuppertal Institut von der Stadt Wolfsburg beauftragt worden. Untersucht wurde, welche Potenziale sich sowohl durch die fortschreitende technologische Entwicklung als auch durch kommunale Aktivitäten erschließen lassen. Dieser Frage ging das Konzept in zwei Szenarien nach. Die gemeinsame Arbeit kommt letztendlich zu dem Ergebnis, dass ein Großteil der möglichen CO2-Minderung aus der Technologieentwicklung bei den Fahrzeugen resultieren wird. Die größten Handlungsmöglichkeiten der Kommune liegen der Veränderung des Modal Splits zugunsten des Umweltverbunds. Das Konzept zeigt dazu in vier ausgewählten Handlungsfeldern entsprechende Leitmotive und Handlungsleitlinien auf und gibt vier grundlegende strategische Projektempfehlungen: 1. Stadtstruktur und Wohnumfeld: Carsharing und Wohnungswirtschaft zusammenführen. 2. Infrastruktur der Mobilität: Radverkehrsplan für die Gesamtstadt aufstellen. 3. Verkehrsmittel: Stationsbasiertes E-Carsharing einführen. 4. Marketing und Kommunikation: Mitarbeiter multimobil machen.