Social scientists of conservation typically address sources of legitimacy of conservation policies in relation to local communities’ or indigenous land rights, highlighting social inequality and environmental injustice. This chapter reflects on the underlying ethics of environmental justice in order to differentiate between various motivations of conservation and its critique. Conservation is discussed against the backdrop of two main ethical standpoints: preservation of natural resources for human use, and protection of nature for its own sake. These motivations will be examined highlighting mainstream conservation and alternative deep ecology environmentalism. Based on this examination, this chapter untangles concerns with social and ecological justice in order to determine how environmental and human values overlap, conflict, and where the opportunity for reconciliation lies, building bridges between supporters of social justice and conservation. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319713113#aboutBook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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Energiebeheer gericht aanpakken, Het analyseren van doelstellingen, resultaten en impacts van energie- en broeikasgasbeheersprogramma’s in bedrijven (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands): De wereldwijde uitstoot van broeikasgassen moet drastisch worden teruggebracht om de mondiale stijging van de temperatuur tot het relatief veilige niveau van maximaal 2 graden Celsius te beperken. In de komende decennia zal de verbetering van de energie-efficiëntie de belangrijkste strategie zijn voor het verminderen van de energiegerelateerde uitstoot van broeikasgassen. Hoewel er een enorm potentieel is voor verbetering van de energie-efficiëntie, wordt een groot deel daarvan nog niet benut. Dit wordt veroorzaakt door diverse investeringsbarrières die de invoering van maatregelen voor energie-efficiëntie verbetering verhinderen. De invoering van energiemanagement wordt vaak beschouwd als een manier om dergelijke barrières voor energiebesparing te overwinnen. De invoering van energiemanagement in bedrijven kan worden gestimuleerd door de introductie van programma's voor energie-efficiëntie verbetering en vermindering van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen. Deze programma's zijn vaak een combinatie van verschillende elementen zoals verplichtingen voor energiemanagement; (ambitieuze) doelstellingen voor energiebesparing of beperking van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen; de beschikbaarheid van regelingen voor stimulering, ondersteuning en naleving; en andere verplichtingen, zoals openbare rapportages, certificering en verificatie. Tot nu toe is er echter beperkt inzicht in het proces van het formuleren van ambitieuze doelstellingen voor energie-efficiëntie verbetering of het terugdringen van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen binnen deze programma's, in de gevolgen van de invoering van dergelijke programma's op de verbetering van het energiemanagement, en in de impact van deze programma's op energiebesparing of de vermindering van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen. De centrale onderzoeksvraag van dit proefschrift is als volgt geformuleerd: "Wat is de impact van energie- en broeikasgasmanagement programma’s op het verbeteren van het energiemanagement in de praktijk, het versnellen van de energieefficiëntie verbetering en het beperken van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen in bedrijven?".
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The ambition of a transition to a sustainable society brings forth the dual challenge to preserve historical buildings and simultaneously improve the energy performance of our built environment. While engineers claim that a dramatic reduction of energy use in the built environment is feasible, it has proven to be a difficult and twisting road.In this paper we focus on historical buildings, where difficulties of energy reduction are paramount, as such buildings provide local identity and a connection to our past. It is a EU policy objective to conserve and redesign heritage buildings like prisons, military barracks, factories, stations, and schools. Such redesign should also ensure reduction of energy use without compromising historical identity. In this paper we conceptually and empirically investigate how the two conflicting aspirations unfold. In particular we elaborate the obduracy and scripts of buildings, to clarify how they resist change and invite a specific use. We analyse the tensions between identity and energy conservation in a case study of a restoration project in Franeker. This buildinghas recently undergone a restoration, with energy efficiency as one of its goals.Scripts and networks are traced by a combination of methods, such as studyinglayout, materials and building history, and qualitative interviews with restoration architects and users. We identified three types of strategies to conserve identity and energy: design strategies; identity strategies and network strategies. Such strategies are also relevant for other efforts where conservation and innovation have to be reconciled.
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Digitalisation has enabled businesses to access and utilise vast amounts of data. Business data analytics allows companies to employ the most recent and relevant data to comprehend situations and enhance decision-making. While the value of data itself is limited, substantial value can be directly or indirectly uncovered from data. This process is referred to as data monetisation. The most successful stories of data monetisation often originate from large corporations, as they have adequate resources to monetise their data. Notably, many such cases arise from prominent Big Tech companies in North America. In contrast, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have lagged behind in utilising their digital data assets effectively. They are frequently constrained by limited resources to build up capabilities and fully exploit their data. This places them at a strategic disadvantage, particularly as digitalisation is progressively reshaping markets and competitive relationships. Furthermore, the use of digital technologies and data are important in addressing societal challenges such as energy conservation, circularity, and the ageing of the population. This lag has been highlighted by SMEs we have engaged with, where managing directors have indicated their desire to operate based on data, but their companies lack the know-how and are unsure of ‘where to start’. Together with eight SMEs and other partners, we have defined a research project to gain insight into the potential and obstacles of data monetisation in SMEs. More specifically, we will explore how SMEs can transform data into strategic assets and create value. We attempt to demonstrate the journey of data monetisation and illustrate different possibilities to create value from data in SMEs. We will take a holistic approach to examine different aspects of data monetisation and their associations. The outcomes of this project are both practical and academic, such as an SME handbook, academic papers, and case studies.
A major challenge for the Netherlands is its transition to a sustainable society: no more natural gas from Groningen to prevent earthquakes, markedly reduced emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to stop and invert climate change, on top of growth of electricity in society. Green gas, i.e. biogas suitable for the Dutch gas grid, is supposed to play a major role in the future energy transition, provided sufficient green gas is produced. This challenge has been identified as urgent by professional, academic and private parties and has shaped this project. In view of the anticipated pressure on biomass (availability, alternative uses), the green gas yield from difficult-to-convert biomass by anaerobic digestion should be improved. As typically abundant and difficult-to-convert biomass, grass from road verges and nature conservation areas has been selected. Better conversion of grass will be established with the innovative use of new consortia of (rumen) micro-organisms that are adapted or adaptable to grass degradation. Three-fold yield increase is expected. This is combined with innovative inclusion of oxygen in the digestion process. Next green hydrogen is used to convert carbon dioxide from digestion and maximize gas yield. Appropriate bioreactors increasing the overall methane production rate will be designed and evaluated. In addition, new business models for the two biogas technologies are actively developed. This all will contribute to the development of an appropriate infrastructure for a key topic in Groningen research and education. The research will help developing an appropriate research culture integrated with at least five different curricula at BSc and MSc level, involving six professors and one PhD student. The consortium combines three knowledge institutes, one large company, three SMEs active in biogas areas and one public body. All commit to more efficient conversion of difficult-to-convert biomass in the solid body of applied research proposed here.
