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- Lazarevic, David
(författare)
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Life Cycle Thinking and Waste Policy : Between Science and Society
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study investigates the application of life cycle thinking (LCT) and life cycle assessment (LCA) in the field of waste management from perspectives based in the social sciences. LCT is explored through the theoretical construct of regimes, drawing theoretical resources from a combination of the ‘pragmatic turn’, the economics of conventions and transition theory.This work is based on eight papers treating theoretical arguments, qualitative and quantitative analysis, case studies and semi-structured interview data. LCT is placed in the context of contemporary societies. LCA is seen as an instrument of quantification and evaluation used by actors which have both similar and disparate objectives, and who offer justifications for its use through arguments embedded in conflicting pluralities of worth. Furthermore, this work analyses LCA as a tool for the qualification of the waste hierarchy; a waste management principle articulating a convention based on closed material cycles. This study argues that the technological trajectory of waste management regimes has been significantly influenced, inter alia, by actors’ institutional articulation of the waste hierarchy at national and territorial levels. It discusses the legitimacy of LCA, and the quantitative application of LCT, as an intermediary object used to qualify the waste hierarchy. Furthermore, LCT is placed in a prospective context which may be used to assist in the transition toward sustainable waste management.
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| 2. |
- Miafodzyeva, Sviatlana, 1976-
(författare)
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Understanding the Recycling Behaviour of Householders in Multicultural Urban Areas:Case Study Järva, Stockholm
- 2012
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Separating household waste into fractions at source is a common method of household waste collection in most European countries. In 1994 Sweden introduced producer liability legislation for packaging, which requires householders to sort, clean and recycle different types of packaging waste. The recycling behaviour of householders is complex and diverse and has been widely investigated. However, the recycling behaviour of householders living in multicultural urban areas has received less attention. Therefore, little is known about the recycling behaviour and attitudes of the ethnic minorities that comprise a sizeable proportion of many urban populations.This thesis examined recycling behaviour among multicultural householders in the urban area of Järva, north-west Stockholm, Sweden, which is home to a significant proportion of immigrants from different parts of the world. Three practical studies were conducted on the recycling behaviour of householders, with data collected through literature reviews, field screening studies for relevant cases, postal surveys and in-depth interviews with householders.A meta-analysis of studies on householder recycling behaviour published in the period 1990-2010 provided a conceptual framework for explaining recycling behaviour. It also revealed some specific features of the determining factors of recycling behaviour among householders in multicultural urban areas. For example, despite self-reported high levels of environmental concern among multicultural respondents in Järva, recycling behaviour was not determined by this factor but by attitudes towards recycling. The data also showed that the most widespread reason for participating in recycling schemes was acceptance of legal norms. The interview study indicated that providing clear, understandable and easily accessible written information in ethnic languages, supported by “word-of-mouth” information, would probably increase participation by Järva householders in recycling schemes. However, lifestyle and the ethnic origins of householders also influenced their waste generation and recycling behaviour.The methodological improvements presented here can help develop future strategies targeted at increasing the waste management behaviour of the important multicultural urban group, while also ensuring that limited resources are effectively used.
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| 3. |
- Shahrokni, Hossein, 1983-
(författare)
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Smart Urban Metabolism : Toward a New Understanding of Causalities in Cities
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For half a century, urban metabolism has been used to provide insights to support transitions to sustainable urban development (SUD). Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) has recently been recognized as a potential technology enabler to advance this transition. This thesis explored the potential for an ICT-enabled urban metabolism framework aimed at improving resource efficiency in urban areas by supporting decision-making processes. Three research objectives were identified: i) investigation of how the urban metabolism framework, aided by ICT, could be utilized to support decision-making processes; ii) development of an ICT platform that manages real-time, high spatial and temporal resolution urban metabolism data and evaluation of its implementation; and iii) identification of the potential for efficiency improvements through the use of resulting high spatial and temporal resolution urban metabolism data. The work to achieve these objectives was based on literature reviews, single-case study research in Stockholm, software engineering research, and big data analytics of resulting data. The evolved framework, Smart Urban Metabolism (SUM), enabled by the emerging context of smart cities, operates at higher temporal (up to real-time), and spatial (up to household/individual) data resolution. A key finding was that the new framework overcomes some of the barriers identified for the conventional urban metabolism framework. The results confirm that there are hidden urban patterns that may be uncovered by analyzing structured big urban data. Some of those patterns may lead to the identification of appropriate intervention measures for SUD.
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| 4. |
- Holmstedt, Louise
(författare)
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Evaluation of Sustainable Urban District Developments : The case of Stockholm Royal Seaport
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Urban sustainable development is now seen as one of the keys in the quest for a sustainable world and increased interest in developing sustainable urban districts has become an important feature of urban sustainability. However, if cities and their districts are to be part of this transition, it will be necessary to determine the state and progress of urban developments. Evaluation and follow-up activities must therefore be an integral part of modern sustainability work.This thesis investigated evaluation methods and strategies for determining progress towards sustainable urban district development. The Stockholm Royal Seaport district in Sweden was used as the research arena in studies based on urban metabolism theories, including a single case study approach, focus group interviews, the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and quantitative data analysis. The thesis main results can be summarised as follows.A structured frame for use in theory and practice can strengthen programme development and minimise the risk of built-in problems in environmental and sustainability plans for new urban districts. The proposed evaluation model for Stockholm Royal Seaport displayed strengths regarding core evaluation activities, such as communicating a strong vision and recognising continuity in the evaluation process. It displayed weaknesses as regards organisational structure and system boundaries. The proof-of-concept implementation of a Smart Urban Metabolism framework enabled real-time evaluation data on district scale to be generated and processed. The implementation process also led to identification of limitations in the framework, such as access to business sensitive data, failed integration of data streams and privacy concerns. Dynamic, high-resolution meter data can provide a higher degree of transparency in evaluation results and permit inclusion of all stakeholder groups in urban districts. The frequently used energy performance indicator kWh/m2 (Atemp) was shown to be an insufficient communication tool to mediate knowledge, due to conflation of consumption and construction parameters and the need for prior knowledge for full understanding.
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| 5. |
- Stoll, Pia, 1969-
(författare)
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Residential Demand Response in the Context of European Union Energy Policy
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In order to achieve energy security, reduce global warming and promote the vision of a common electricity market, the European Union (EU) is transforming the EU electricity grid from a large set of independent hierarchical national grids into one meshed EU-wide grid. For the first time in the history of the electric power industry, residential consumers are being integrated into the grid as active consumers and micro-generators of electricity. In the near future, residential buildings in the EU will have to use much less energy and the right source of energy. If residential consumers want to maintain the same level of energy service, buildings will have to use and produce energy differently. Decentralised energy production from renewable energy sources beside or within residential buildingsis required. Distribution grids will receive more locally produced energy and be more autonomous. Suppliers and distribution system operators will have to change business models from quantity-based to service-based. As residential consumers become more active in the EU, residential system developers need to understand what and how system requirements can support EU energy policy. This thesis therefore interprets EU energy policy concerns in terms of factors influencing the residential demand response system design. To test the viability of the influencing factors, system design was constructed and prototyped. One important influencing factor,the “greenness” of electricity information, was concretised as a dynamic CO2 signal and integrated into the system design as a residential demand response signal. The dynamic CO2 signal was not always correlated with the dynamic price of electricity, but there were strong indications that the CO2 intensity signal can and should be used as a supplement to the price signal in the residential demand response system to increase motivation for energy savings. It was found that a CO2 intensity-driven Time-of-Use tariff can be developed, based on forecasts of the hourly wholesale market price and the CO2 intensity, and that this tariff is beneficial for both supplier and household. The thesis thus demonstrates that it is possible to extract system design-influencing factors from EU energy policy and use these for the design and implementation of a residential demand response system.
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| 6. |
- Sun, Qie, 1982-
(författare)
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Understanding the Clean Development Mechanism and its dual aims : the case of China's projects
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Having been running for over 10 years, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is considered an innovative and successful mitigation initiative. CDM has the dual aims of helping industrialised countries achieve compliance with their emission limitation and reduction commitments in a cost-effective way, while simultaneously assisting developing countries in sustainable development. This thesis does a comprehensive analysis of the dual aims of CDM and is intended to assist in discussions about the post-2012 regime regarding CDM. To analyse the aim of assisting mitigation in a cost-effective way, the prices of certified emission reductions (CERs) on the international carbon market was studied and the provision of CDM was tested by comparing the amount of CERs with the mitigation commitments of the Annex I countries. It was found that CDM plays an important role in maintaining the international carbon price at a low level and that the total amount of CERs alone had already reached up to 52.70% of the entire mitigation commitments of industrialized countries by the end of 2010 and was continuing to grow before 2012. A theoretical analysis of the impacts of CDM showed that CDM has a double mitigation effect in both developing countries and industrialised countries, without double counting at present. A quantitative evaluation of the effects of China’s CDM projects on China’s total emissions showed that the contribution of CDM projects to limiting total emissions is small due to the dominance of fossil fuels, but CDM’s role in stimulating renewable energy is significant, e.g. about 11% of hydropower and 93% of wind power was generated by CDM projects in 2010. The results provide strong evidence in support of CDM’s contribution under the current Kyoto Protocol mitigation regime. To analyse the aim of promoting sustainable development in developing countries, popular methods such as checklist, Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) were reviewed, a CBA of co-benefits of China’s CDM projects was carried out, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied in an experimental study. The results showed that every method has its own advantages and problems. In other words, neither the CBA of co-benefits nor the AHP method alone is able to assess sustainable development in a completely satisfactory way. Currently, a bottom-up approach through engaging local stakeholders in CDM design and approval, combining a mandatory monitoring and evaluation of co-benefits, could be more effective for safeguarding local sustainable development than any consolidated standards. The future of the CDM is still unclear mainly due to uncertainties about the post-2012 regime. This thesis shows that there is more than sufficient reason for CDM to continue after 2012. Industrialised countries in general should make more substantial efforts to reduce their domestic emissions rather than blaming developing countries. For developing countries, learning from the CDM projects and further applying the knowledge, technology and experiences to their domestic development agenda could be more valuable than the present CER revenues. CDM can be an important starting point for developing countries to gradually make incremental greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and limitation efforts.
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| 7. |
- Aid, Graham, 1980-
(författare)
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Industrial Ecology Methods within Engagement Processes for Industrial Resource Management
- 2013
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The global use of resources such as materials, energy, and water has surpassed sustainable levels by many accounts. The research presented here was explicitly normative in its aim to improve the understanding of, and make sustainable change toward highly systemic issues of resource management. The core methods chosen to work toward this aim were bottom up action research procedures (including stakeholder engagement processes) and industrial ecology analysis tools. These methods were employed and tested in pragmatic combination through two of the author’s case study projects. The first case study, performed between 2009 and 2012, employed a multi-stakeholder process aimed at improving the cycling of construction and demolition waste in the Stockholm region. The second case study produced a strategic tool (Looplocal) built for facilitating more efficient regional industrial resource networks. While the highly participative aim of the cases required a larger contribution of resources than that of more closed studies, it is arguable that the efficacy of approaching the project aims is improved through their employment.
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