Suchergebnisse

Abstract The German energy transition towards more sustainable forms of energy production has been characterized as a large-scale or real-world experiment. Whereas experiments are open-ended processes set up explicitly to allow (or even generate) surprises, by contrast sustainability implies the pursuit of clearly defined, normative ends. Whereas much of the literature on system transformation builds on the concept of innovation, our hypothesis is that focusing on the "natural" flipside of innovation—called here "exnovation," i.e., departing from unsustainable pathways—should also be seen as a valuable conceptual strategy for coping with the tension between the unavoidable indeterminacy resulting from unknown risks and the necessary amendment and redefinition of goals and rules. In this paper the German energy transition ( Energiewende ) is used to exemplify the recursive processes of experimentation that make it possible to accommodate surprise, and, thus, to conceptualize the unavoidable tension between innovation and the maintenance of older, unsustainable structures.

In Asia, high levels of malnutrition threaten the health and livelihoods of millions of households. This paper concentrates on linkages between agriculture and nutrition in Afghanistan where food and nutrition insecurity are increasing and agricultural sustainability is increasingly compromised by climate change. We explore seasonal patterns of food production and consumption in the remote and robust ecological environment of Shah Foladi, Bamyan Province. Analysis of qualitative data from household interviews in eight villages has provided a wealth of insights into the seasonality of diets. Even within a broadly homogeneous environment, households were found to be markedly heterogeneous in respect of their assets, production, market, finance and employment strategies. The so-called 'lean season' was found to vary accordingly. Nevertheless, a general lack of dietary diversity during much of the year is likely to cause micronutrient malnutrition, especially for the vulnerable groups of children, adolescent girls and women. Potential interventions are proposed which need to account for the local context in order to overcome the natural and political constraints. These strategies include agricultural innovation and multi-sectoral policy approaches. In the end, reducing national insecurity is a pre-requisite for sustainable improvement in nutrition-sensitive agricultural development.

This review considers economic growth in a renewable energy system. In this review tried to show that economies of the past survived, evolved and even grew within a renewable energy system. Indeed, the key observation is that, in particular locations, industries were operative and dependent on renewable energy sources for centuries and even millennia. The growth in demands does clearly put pressure on resources. For instance, the expansion of the European and Far East Asian population and economy between 900 and 1350 and 1400 and 1800 led to a growth in demand for energy resources. We investigated the 'sustainability' of the use of this 'sustainable' energy that is, how the renewable resource was used over very long periods. This involves considering the availability of resources, the rate of use, the existence of energy crises and the various governments´ attempts to manage demand and supply. In many localities, wood fuel supplies were able to meet the growing demand. This was, in cases considered, the result of government intervention and the promotion of better resource management. Often, they were coupled with efforts to reduce demand and improve efficiency of consumption. Based on the historical evidence, balancing demand and supply was crucial to achieving growth within a renewable energy system. In many circumstances, trade was the solution, importing the necessary resources. Where local energy shortages were a problem, the main cause was due to the high cost of transporting resources, rather than an overall energy crisis. In addition to these, a Future Economy Driven by Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy Technologies in developing counters, Renewable Energy Consumption and Economic Growth have all been included and discussed.

Since the 1950s, cycling policy in China has gone through three phases: from active encouragement (1955–1994) and systematic discouragement (1994–2008) to neglect and ambivalence (since the 2010s). Parallel to the expansion of automobility, the country has been unique in its development of innovations in electric-powered two-wheelers and a vibrant e-cycling practice since the 1980s. Electric bikes have given over 300 million low-status commuters and peddlers access to jobs and housing, even though planners have dismissed them as a problematic ›floating population‹ and remnants of the past. Given China's current urban sustainable mobility challenges and ambition to become the world's first ›Ecological Civilization‹ (2013), China's bicycle industry, e-vehicle manufacturers, and the e-commerce sector may offer an alternative to the US-based ›car civilization‹ if ecological (e-cycles) and social (low-status workers) sustainability are brought into one analytical frame.