| 1. |
- Dalhammar, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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Energy efficiency regulations, market and behavioural failures and standardization
- 2018
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Ingår i: Preventing Environmental Damage from Products : An Analysis of the Policy and Regulatory Framework in Europe - An Analysis of the Policy and Regulatory Framework in Europe. - : Cambridge University Press. - 9781108500128 - 9781108422444 ; , s. 176-228
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: A large number of policy instruments have been developed to induce energy efficiency and mitigate climate change. Traditional policy evaluations have assessed the performance of individual policy instruments, applying criteria such as target effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, legitimacy and distributional effects. More recently there has been a shift of interest in how policy instruments interact and the role of the policy mix. There is growing recognition that it is difficult to design ‘optimal’ policy solutions, and that the existence of multiple market failures implies that a wider mix of policy approaches are required in order to overcome them. Therefore, more effort is devoted to finding suitable ‘policy packages’, where the instruments work in synergy and inconsistencies are minimized. While carbon pricing policies have often been considered the best option for cutting carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way, this is increasingly questioned. For instance, mandatory regulations offer certain benefits relative to pricing, which could include: (1) they send a clear signal to industries, and provide more information than price signals which are often too diffused, resulting in decisions constrained by bounded rationality; (2) they may have lower transaction costs, as transaction costs are quite high, especially in emission trading schemes; and (3) they may overcome market and behavioural failures such as information asymmetries and computational constraints affecting the transmission and analysis of information, leading to sub-optimal decisions among societal actors. As experience with carbon pricing has also demonstrated, there are political economy constraints with carbon pricing that result in far less effective pricing policies than theory would suggest. Some authors who focus on past technological breakthroughs suggest there is little reason to believe that carbon pricing alone can bring about the technological change needed to significantly reduce emissions. It should also be recognized that the choice of policy instruments is influenced by political and discursive struggles concerning the nature of the problem and its solutions: some actors view climate change mainly as a market failure issue to be corrected by carbon pricing; others primarily consider climate change to be an energy system challenge requiring the decarbonizing of societal systems.
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| 2. |
- Dalhammar, Carl J., et al.
(författare)
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Interdisciplinary research on energy efficiency standards and climate change mitigation : Methods, results, and communication
- 2018
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Ingår i: University Initiatives in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 9783319895895 - 9783319895901 ; , s. 333-350
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy efficiency regulations are one of the important policy packages employed for climate mitigation. Recent evaluations from the USA and the European Union (EU) indicate that the setting of minimum mandatory energy performance standards (MEPS) for different products-such as electric motors, TVs, and dishwashers-are among the best-performing climate policies and that these regulations are also cost-effective. In the EU, MEPS are adopted under the Ecodesign Directive. Despite the positive evaluations, MEPS have also come under criticism from media and some researchers, questioning their unintended effects and their cost-effectiveness. This chapter reflects the research of a five-year, interdisciplinary research program (2013-2018) which researched the effects and potential of the Ecodesign Directive. Multiple methods were employed in the project, which have resulted in various insights. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the main experiences with this interdisciplinary research project, including the variety of research methods, the ways the results have been communicated to policymakers and other actors outside academia, and the need for future research to better understand the interactions between resource efficiency and climate mitigation in the context of product regulation. Two issues of high importance in the climate change mitigation research arena are highlighted. The first issue concerns the need for research that looks at interactions between energy efficiency and resource efficiency in the case of MEPS, and the need to develop new methods and approaches. Secondly, in the case of the "policy mix" for effective climate mitigation, there is a need to develop new theories, and also to consider the political feasibility of proposed policies.
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| 3. |
- Dalhammar, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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Options for lifetime labeling: design, scope and consumer interfaces
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLATE: Product Lifetimes And The Environment : Conference Proceedings - Conference Proceedings. - 9781614998198 - 9781614998204 ; 9, s. 461-463
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the context of the Circular Economy, there is a lot of discussion on how policies at European Union and member state levels could provide incentives for the design of more durable products. One potential policy approach is to mandate manufacturers to provide lifetime information to consumers at the time of purchase. This could be done through a specific labeling scheme, or by including such information in the mandatory energy labeling scheme. However, the concept of lifetime is far from straightforward, and it is crucial to analyze the type of product and user patterns if such labeling is to be adopted. In this paper we outline some of the policy options and the issues that must be taken into consideration.
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| 4. |
- Leire, Charlotte, et al.
(författare)
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Online teaching going massive: input and outcomes
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 123, s. 230-233
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The proliferation of massive open online courses is a recent phenomenon in higher education. At the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden, emerging pedagogical approaches in e-learning have long been embraced, allowing for valuable experience with new educational technologies applied in education for sustainability. In 2014, the Institute was given a formal task to develop a massive open online course on “Greening the Economy: Lessons from Scandinavia”, thereby utilizing existing capacities and experiences while experiencing new challenges revealed by courses of larger scale. This article presents the background to the Institute's undertaking with massive open online courses and the range of expectations from the main stakeholders. The article discusses massive open online courses as a novel venue for e-learning in sustainability education as regards learning activities, design and content. It concludes that while the initial experience of such a course has been positive, in order to better cater to the learner groups, continued attention needs to be paid to course design, teacher capacity and in particular an examination of learner motivations.
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| 5. |
- Machacek, Erika, et al.
(författare)
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Governance and Risk–Value Constructions in Closing Loops of Rare Earth Elements in Global Value Chains
- 2017
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Ingår i: Resources. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-9276. ; 6:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article addresses a research gap on the challenges—specifically risk and value—connected to realizing the potential for closing loops for rare earth elements (REE). We develop an analytical framework from conceptual elements of the global value chain (GVC) framework and the relational theory of risk to examine several empirical REE industry cases for loop closure. The aim of the paper is to identify how risk–value relationships are constructed by different actors as governance structures form in transactions prior to price setting and how these have impacts on the closure of REE loops. Often, REE loops are not closed, and we find that constructions of the risk–value relationship by industrial actors and by government agencies are unstable as they pursue different motivations, consequently hindering REE loop closure in GVCs. In light of this, we propose that governments mediate against the construction of risk–value relationships by facilitating information on the characteristics of end-of-life materials that qualify these for re-entry into loops.
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| 6. |
- Machacek, Erika, et al.
(författare)
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Recycling of rare earths from fluorescent lamps: Value analysis of closing-the-loop under demand and supply uncertainties
- 2015
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Ingår i: Resources, Conservation & Recycling. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-3449. ; 104, s. 76-93
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rare earth element (REE) recycling remains low at 1%, despite significant uncertainties related to future supply and demand and EU 2020 energy efficiency objectives. We use a global production network framework of REE flows from mine to REE phosphors in energy-efficient lamps to illustrate the potential of closed-loop recycling for secondary supply under different scenarios of primary supply and forecasted demand for LEDs, CFLs and LFLs. We find that different End-of-Life Recycling Rate scenarios for REE secondary supply range between meeting forecasted REE demand and filling primary supply gaps, and competing with primary supply. Our argument centres on diversifying REE sourcing with recycling and the choice between primary and secondary supply. We stress that secondary REE phosphor supply requires further policy support for lamp collection and a discussion of the value of REE phosphor recycling which underlies its economic feasibility.
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| 7. |
- McCormick, Kes, et al.
(författare)
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Greening the Economy Compendium
- 2015
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Bok (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- The concept of a ”green economy” is rapidly gaining interest around the world. However, the idea is not new. It appeared in 1989 in the book “Blueprint for a Green Economy”. During the 1990s and most of the 2000s, the green economy was not a widely used term. But it gained a new lease of life after the financial crisis of 2008 when governments and industries around the world needed to respond to economic recessions while also furthering environmental and climate protection goals. In 2012, an updated book called “A New Blueprint for a Green Economy” was published. There are many initiatives that have been launched around the world to green economies. This compendium explores greening the economy on four levels – individual, business, city, and nation. We will look at the relationships between these levels and give many practical examples of the complexities and solutions across the levels. Scandinavia, a pioneering place advancing sustainability and combating climate change, is a unique starting point for learning about greening economies. We will learn from many initiatives implemented in Scandinavia since the 1970s that are all potentially useful for other countries and contexts. Throughout this compendium, you will find many examples with links to relevant websites, documents and films.
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| 8. |
- Mundaca, Luis, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing ‘Green Energy Economy’ stimulus packages: Evidence from the U.S. programs targeting renewable energy
- 2015
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Ingår i: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-0321. ; 42, s. 1174-1186
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The paper provides a comprehensive empirical assessment of American stimulus policies aimed at renewable energy (RE) technologies. We use an indicator-based methodology to assess progress with respect to energy, environmental and socio-economic issues resulting from RE stimulus programs linked to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and review and analyze the emerging but scattered literature. Overall, our results indicate that stimulus programs have had a positive effect on the RE sector. This is despite the fact that they were originally planned to work in combination with a greenhouse gas ‘cap-and-trade’ system, which has not been implemented. From the methodological perspective, our approach is resource-intensive and our analysis highlights numerous challenges, notably related to causality and additionality. Despite these limitations, this research improves our understanding of the broad effects and impacts of RE stimulus programs.
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| 9. |
- Palm, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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Article Incubator: building interdisciplinary academic writing skills among PhD students
- 2018
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Ingår i: LTH:s pedagogiska inspirationskonferens - Proceedings 2018 : 10:e pedagogiska inspirationskonferensen - 10:e pedagogiska inspirationskonferensen. - 2003-3761 .- 2003-377X.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Article Incubator (AI) is a course intended for PhD students at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University. The course provides a forum for students to discuss their current research, to develop academic writing skills, and to share best practices in academic publishing. The AI is coordinated by a senior researcher at the IIIEE, while maintaining a student-centred approach, where all course elements are supported by students’ own contributions, reflections and experiences. In addition to sharing the article incubator as a pedagogical experience, we also seek to reflect upon ongoing challenges including how to successfully manage diverse student backgroundsand expectations in an interdisciplinary context.
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| 10. |
- Plepys, Andrius, et al.
(författare)
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Public procurement barriers in promoting market uptake of innovative LED lighting'
- 2017
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Ingår i: 2016 Electronics Goes Green 2016+, EGG 2016. - 9781509052080
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Innovations in the lighting sector, such as LED-based light sources, have opened up unprecedented possibilities to both save energy and improve the quality of lighting. There is growing evidence of light's importance for human health, moods, work productivity and quality of life in general; but the uptake of new solutions is still rather slow in society. The public sector can play an important role in opening up markets for innovative new products, lighting solutions and new business models. This paper presents the current status of the public sector's role in facilitating the uptake of innovations in the lighting sector, using Sweden as a case study. The study is based on interviews, case studies and literature reviews. It discusses the role of public procurement for innovation (PPI), analyses technical, institutional and regulatory barriers from the perspectives of different actors and identifies opportunities for action. Our findings suggest that improvement priorities include the closing of knowledge gaps among relevant actors, optimizing the division of responsibilities for decision-taking, avoiding over-interpretation of legal provisions, more effective learning from pilot examples and more innovative thinking in creating service-oriented business models through public-private partnerships.
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