What is it about?
There are two policy tools developed in Europe, one in Hungary and one in the UK aiming to cap non renewable energy use in a sustainable and fair way. Both of them evidently would contribute to environmental sustainability, but their potential to enhance social justice is far not that clear. My publication aims to find the answer for this not trrival question.
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Why is it important?
Considering the increasing challenges climate change poses, policy should support innovative and holisitc approaches, aiming to solve multisectoral, but evidently linked problems. These policy tools are targeting social as well as enviornmental challenges, but they might provide room for improvement.
Perspectives
Through this publication I hope that the attention to develop holistic tools for non renewable energy capping will increase.
Veronika Kiss
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Energy use caps under scrutiny: An ecological economics perspective, Society and Economy, March 2018, Akademiai Kiado,
DOI: 10.1556/204.2018.40.1.4.
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Resources
Sufficiency: Moving beyond the gospel of eco-efficiency
To revert the current ecological overshoot and build a sustainable society, we have to collectively engage in changing our economic model. “Sufficiency: moving beyond the gospel of eco-efficiency” suggests introducing hard limitations to unsustainable trends—in particular to overconsumption—and putting emphasis on distributional justice. Seven chapters written by sustainability and economics experts plus a foreword by Janez Potočnik (Co-chair of the International Resource Panel and former European Commissioner for the Environment) shed light on different angles of sufficiency and formulate concrete recommendations to EU policy makers. The booklet ends with a discussion of several eco-social policies that can start the transition towards an "economics of enough". Many new ideas for an economic paradigm shift have been developed and discussed at the academic and grassroots levels in recent years. The aim of this booklet is to build on a rich body of knowledge and bring these ideas to the attention of engaged citizens and policy makers in order to advance the debate on how to implement sufficiency.
BOOSTING RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY by Adopting the Circular Economy
In previous conferences many high standard scientific presentations have contributed to very interesting discussions. After an evaluation, the best presentations have been selected and theirs authors invited to submit a manuscript for the publication in this book. The book is now arranged to make an additional contribution to the topics which were in the program of WRF 2015 and WRF LAC 2016, and is accordingly structured in four parts: 1. Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Resource Efficiency 2. Technological Innovation, Business and Finance 3. Circular Economy and Decoupling 4. Lifestyles and Education. An additional part presents contributions and views of private organizations. Before any actions can take place, reasonable targets need to be set. In this context new and important indicators and benchmarks for resource efficiency are presented in Part 1. The various papers focus, but not exclusively, on resources efficiency for different materials and goods, renewable energy and climate change. Incentives are often not necessary for taking action if the development can be justified with economic benefits. With large expected profits for companies, technological innovations will be implemented at a fast pace. Part 2 of this book therefore is dedicated to technological innovations, business and finance. Innovation for sustainability, e-mobility, business planning tools are discussed. If our current economic system does not solve the problems, then new approaches have to be developed. If necessary, the rules have to be changed to achieve a sustainable economy, in which economic growth and resource use are decoupled from each other. Following this perspective, Part 3 is dedicated to circular economy and decoupling and offers insights into country and regional studies, research on policies as well as case studies from businesses. Our society is an indispensable factor in increasing resource efficiency. Changing lifestyles and strengthening education are cornerstones in making the necessary change towards a sustainable resource management system. In Part 4 sustainable lifestyles, household consumption, ecological footprints, as well as building up awareness for an efficient and conservative use of resources through education are discussed. Finally, it is important that research is implemented by the economy. Part 5 presents contributions and views of private organisations and shows success stories.
Can capping energy use make people happier?
Capping the use of energy from non-renewable sources has the potential to contribute greatly to sustainability and wellbeing, so it is high time to pay more attention to it.
DIFFE/ RENCES INEQUA/ LITIES AND SOCIO/ LOGICAL IMAGI/ NATION
Today's byword 'globalisation' only partially captures the full significance of these processes. Sociological knowledge ther efore encounters a limitation: it is easier to see what is disappearing than what is coming into being. Yet this limitation can be overturned and become a resource: a stimulus to intensify our theoretical and empirical exploration of the world around us by relating everyday life to history, connecting individual experiences to major issues of democracy and justice, and viewing the exercise of agency in the light of processes of domination. Sociological imagination is the tool that our discipline has honed over the decades to accomplish this. But what are the major issues that the global sociological community now has the responsibility to tackle? First and foremost, they arise from the exponential increase in social inequalities, a process that the internat ional economic crisis has exacerbated beyond measure. This situation threatens the very existence of democracy and calls for the construction of forms of social analysis which are strongly connected to the arena of public policy. Concurrently, these forms of analysis must also be capable of offering communities and individuals knowledge and insight that can help to stem the tide of fatalism and apathy. Yet an analysis of how inequalities are produced and reinforced would be incomplete without reflection on differences. Recognising and acknowledging the multiple expressions of difference – such as gender, social class, age, ethnic background, religion, and sexual orientation... – are vital when it comes to gaining insight into the ‘multiple positioning’ that c haracterises contemporary individuals. And this entails rethinking the meaning of integration today.
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