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The valorisation of urban biowaste can contribute to a circular and sustainable resource management. However, biowaste valorisation is not inherently sustainable. This study employs the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to investigate the sustainability implications of biowaste valorisation. A narrative literature review provided an overview of the current scientific knowledge on interactions between biowaste valorisation and selected SDG targets. Then stakeholder interviews yielded insights into such interactions in a national context. Our findings show the potential for 19 synergies and 11 trade-offs between biowaste valorisation and 20 selected SDG targets that are addressed in detail. Although the synergies outnumber the trade-offs, different context-dependencies influence the nature and strength of the interactions. We highlight three types of context-dependencies relating to governance. This study informs the scientific community and decision-makers on planning for sustainable biowaste valorisation that addresses context-dependencies. The insights can guide countries and cities at early transition stages towards biowaste valorisation., QC 20240325

The role of electric vehicles (EVs) in more sustainable cities is widely recognized, with their adoption increasing rapidly. Most governments have targets for continued EV adoption rate growth, and some plan to ban fossil-fuelled vehicles altogether. Yet, in most countries, including Brazil, the proportion of EVs among new vehicles sold remains low. EV adoption poses multiple technological, economic and social challenges that require targeted policy mechanisms. This study assesses policy measures to expedite EV adoption for road transport decarbonisation and sheds light on the critical role of EVs in sustainable urban development. We explore electric mobility challenges in urban areas, focusing on the case of Curitiba City in Brazil. We investigate existing challenges and barriers to policy implementation in Curitiba and successful interventions in cities worldwide to identify suitable policies for Curitiba. The study uses in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders to examine policy tools, including financial, legal, knowledge-based, and societal instruments. The study recommends complementary instruments and measures to accelerate their adoption in Curitiba. Overall, the study's results, which identify criteria for policy design and implementation towards complete transport decarbonisation, should be valuable for decision-making in transport and mobility planning., Part of ISBN 978-91-8082-042-4QC 20231016

Part of ISBN 9781803927718, 9781803927701QC 20230830

As cities worldwide implement strategies to accelerate the transition toward a circular economy (CE), there is an increasing need for tools to monitor progress. However, a standardised metric for CE monitoring in urban areas is lacking. This study examines the potential of the EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework (CEMF), an established indicator-based framework for measuring national- and EU-level circularity performance, as a monitoring tool for urban areas. For this purpose, available data sources that can support the framework's application at the urban level are mapped, and data quality is assessed following the pedigree matrix approach. Next, the CEMF indicators are computed for the urban area of Umeå, Sweden. The mapping showed limited availability of urban-level data, necessitating the downscaling of national-level data using proxy factors. Most available urban-level data are of high quality, while the quality of national-level data is reduced when used to compute indicators at the urban level. The application of the CEMF in Umeå indicates that there are areas where the municipality performs well, though further improvements are needed. We conclude that the CEMF has potential as a monitoring tool for urban areas. However, improvements in CEMF...s scope and data availability are recommended., QC 20221205

In this chapter, we discuss why in food waste and loss and energy debate community-led initiatives and alternative economies deserve to be looked at more seriously when considering support to circular economy approaches, modelling, and adaptation in the urban context. We focus on the emergence of two types of community-led initiatives in the energy and agri-food sectors. We draw parallels between their role in bringing variety to experimentation when applying circular economy principles in practice. To better understand the potential of combining alternative urban agri-food networks with community-led energy initiatives in sustainable transformation of urban production and consumption systems, it is important to recognize that the uptake of visions or strategies of circularity is affected by the availability and strength of social networks, driving forces behind their emergence and persistence, and technological solutions within and for these grassroots initiatives. We recognize three conditions to building resilient sustainable urban food networks: understanding of multiple urban flows from a coupled systems-perspective, the diversification of knowledge, and overcoming structural and cultural resistance to change. Different framings, such as in narrow terms of innovations focused on technological optimisation, can slow down recognition and reaping benefits from interdependencies of food and energy infrastructures, networks, and institutions. We argue that there is a need for better understanding of how can measures directed at minimizing food waste and loss and wider uptake of sustainable energy systems be coupled and complementary in a more circular urban economy., QC 20201117

Worldwide, cities are implementing circular economy (CE) strategies to reduce the resources they consume and their environmental impact. However, the evidence of the intended and unintended social consequences of the transition to “circular cities” is scattered. The lack of a coherent overview of the evidence on the subject can hinder effective decision-making in policy and practice. This study examines the extent to which the current literature addresses the social impacts that a transition to a CE produces in cities. We used a methodological approach related to systematic mapping to collate the evidence published over the past decade globally. The study finds that social impacts have rarely been considered in studies of circular cities, and where they have been discussed, the scope has been quite limited, only covering employment (mostly of informal sector workers) and governance practices. This scoping review highlights the need to further analyse and integrate social impact considerations into decision-making connected to transitions towards circular cities., QC 20211101

The transition towards a circular economy (CE) is increasingly recognized as a promising pathway to tackle pressing sustainability challenges at the city-level. Indicator-based frameworks, that is, integrated systems of indicators, are considered as useful tools for monitoring this transition. Yet, studies that map and assess such frameworks are scanty. This article addresses this gap by assessing 15 indicator-based frameworks applicable to measure circularity at the city-level. The identified frameworks were assessed using eight criteria (transparency, stakeholder engagement, effective communication, ability to track temporal changes, applicability, alignment with CE principles, validity and relevance to sustainable development). Additionally, 12 validity requirements were defined to assess to what extent the indicators in the frameworks reflect CE aspects. The assessment reveals a wide variation regarding the extent to which the frameworks match the criteria with none of them satisfying all. In addition, in terms of validity criterion, none includes indicators that fulfill all the validity requirements. Furthermore, most frameworks consist mainly of environmental indicators and only three include indicators reflecting aspects related to the four pillars of sustainable development (environmental, social, economic and governance). Further research could develop a standardized framework for measuring circularity at the city-level and improving existing frameworks., QC 20211213

In the past decade, the circular economy has gained attention as a mechanism of transition toward a regenerative, low carbon, and resource-efficient society. As the history of previous radical transformations shows, successful transition toward the circular economy cannot take place without understanding the institutional features of industrial transformations. This article highlights the significance of institutions by placing the circular economy model in the context of the natural resource–based sector and discusses the importance of institutions in regional path development. The article identifies three institutional determinants of both endogenous and directed transformation toward the circular economy model in the regional context: (i) proximity of physical flows and assets, (ii) maturation and diversity of market networks, and (iii) inherent values and patterns of cooperation. This article offers a starting point for future studies of circular economy transitions and the role of institutions as en- abling, as well as at times obstructing transition environments., QC 20210802

Transforming energy systems is increasingly recognized as a societal response to mitigating climate change, with potential to catalyse a paradigmatic shift towards decarbonization. The article looks at the diversity of claims presented to ascribe meaning to policy problems (i.e. structural conditions, contextual technical or ideational appeals to values), and framed within wider institutional perspectives for reform, development, and strategies for addressing climate change in Mexico and Vietnam. The findings suggest both governments maintain a more exclusive than inclusive form of energy governance and retain centralized power over renewable energy and climate change mitigation responses. This is not only because of technological infrastructural lock-ins, but also because they maintain a more exclusive than inclusive form of energy governance that is justified and legitimized by the need for energy supply and access security, and green growth as a source of continuous economic growth. Framing broader energy reforms as part of climate change mitigation goals allow for incumbent actors to further legitimise a conservative neoliberal agenda. These two cases offer insights into how newly emerging economies are facing energy sector reforms while being confronted with energy sector transformations dictated by the climate change mitigation agenda.

This paper investigates the consequences of divergence in policy assumptions in energy planning for preparing national low-carbon pathways and enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. We present an assessment of the resulting forecasts based on a multimethod exploratory study. Our analysis contributes to an ongoing debate on the policy coherence and integration in the energy sector and climate action strategies. Our results indicate how data availability, ownership and transparency, as well as institutional factors inbuilt in national energy planning impact policy implementation and climate action. This analysis can provide valuable insights for policy-makers working with enhancing NDCs to ensure the updated NDC is actionable., QC 20240924

Transforming energy systems is increasingly recognized as a societal response to mitigating climate change, with potential to catalyse a paradigmatic shift towards decarbonization. The article looks at the diversity of claims presented to ascribe meaning to policy problems (i.e. structural conditions, contextual technical or ideational appeals to values), and framed within wider institutional perspectives for reform, development, and strategies for addressing climate change in Mexico and Vietnam. The findings suggest both governments maintain a more exclusive than inclusive form of energy governance and retain centralized power over renewable energy and climate change mitigation responses. This is not only because of technological infrastructural lock-ins, but also because they maintain a more exclusive than inclusive form of energy governance that is justified and legitimized by the need for energy supply and access security, and green growth as a source of continuous economic growth. Framing broader energy reforms as part of climate change mitigation goals allow for incumbent actors to further legitimise a conservative neoliberal agenda. These two cases offer insights into how newly emerging economies are facing energy sector reforms while being confronted with energy sector transformations dictated by the climate change mitigation agenda. KEYWORDS: Low-carbon electricity infrastructure, development discourse, energy systems, transformational change, discursive institutionalism, QC 20200427

This article provides insights into the role of institutions involved in climate governance working towards a future low-carbon society at the national level, within the global climate change governance architecture. Specifically, it contributes to understanding the fragmented governance of energy efficiency policy in developing countries by focussing on Vietnam’s building sector, identifying key institutions related to underlying discourses, national and international power relations, resource distribution and coalitions. It uses the case of baseline setting in developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to illustrate institutional dynamics, nationally and transnationally, as well as to question whether demands for baseline setting achieve the ideal trade-off between actual GHG emissions reduction and institutionalized demands for accountability. The analysis reveals that, in addition to domestic efforts and challenges, the international agenda greatly influences the energy efficiency policy arena. The article presents lessons to be learnt about policy processes from the specific Vietnamese case, reflecting on the role of international actors and discourses in it. Finally, it argues for the abolition of baselines in favour of adequate monitoring and evaluation, from the perspective that requirement for deviation from fictitious baselines is unproductive and only serves an international techno-managerial discourse.

The ´decade of action´ to achieve the ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is off to a very challenging start. With progress on the achievement of most SDGs already lagging behind even before the Covid-19 crisis – our analysis finds that the pandemic negatively affects the achievement of 144 targets (almost 90%) of the SDGs. However, 66 targets (ca. 40%) could potentially benefit from the changes spurred by the crisis, given that the appropriate decisions are made. Holistic response and leadership are needed to ensure an inclusive economic recovery while protecting the environment. Furthermore, our analysis of the literature documents the unprecedented speed of the international community to assess the impacts of the pandemic. Future research should gather data to better understand the impacts of the pandemic locally and globally, and produce long-term analyses to inform the sustainable recovery across all SDGs.

The ´decade of action´ to achieve the ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is off to a very challenging start. With progress on the achievement of most SDGs already lagging behind even before the Covid-19 crisis – our analysis finds that the pandemic negatively affects the achievement of 144 targets (almost 90%) of the SDGs. However, 66 targets (ca. 40%) could potentially benefit from the changes spurred by the crisis, given that the appropriate decisions are made. Holistic response and leadership are needed to ensure an inclusive economic recovery while protecting the environment. Furthermore, our analysis of the literature documents the unprecedented speed of the international community to assess the impacts of the pandemic. Future research should gather data to better understand the impacts of the pandemic locally and globally, and produce long-term analyses to inform the sustainable recovery across all SDGs.