Suchergebnisse

Artiklen præsenterer et kritisk perspektiv på det grønne BNP med afsæt i økologisk økonomi. Det grønne BNP lanceres som et forsøg på at fremme bevidstheden om miljøproblemerne og forbedre grundlaget for politiske beslutninger. Men indikatoren er problematisk, fordi det er et monetært mål, og fordi det afspejler et nationalistisk perspektiv. Markedspriser udgør ikke et godt beslutningsgrundlag, fordi de er baseret på ulighed og skæve magtforhold. Heller ikke værdisætning af miljøgoder på linje med forbrugsgoder bidrager til klarhed om de beslutninger, der skal træffes. I stedet er der brug for et sæt af biofysiske og sociale indikatorer, der kan fremme ansvarlighed og retfærdighed.

Gennem det seneste årti er det 'intelligente elnet' eller 'smart grid' i stigende grad blevet fremhævet mange steder i verden som et vigtig element i omstillingen mod et samfund, der bruger mindre fossil energi. Dette smart grid indebærer en modernisering af elsystemet medinformations- og kommunikationsteknologier, så systemet bliver mere 'intelligent' og bedre istand til at balancere produktion og forbrug af el. Det er meningen, at det nye design skal takle flere nuværende udfordringer, som elsystemet står over for såsom den øgede integration af vedvarende energikilder på grund af klimaforandringer, spidsbelastninger i nettet og strømafbrydelser, forsyningssikkerhed, svindel og unøjagtige afregningsmetoder.Det foreliggende Ph.d. projekt har til hensigt at undersøge den rolle, som husholdninger har i en bæredygtig omstilling af energisystemet og tager udgangspunkt i den danske 'smart gridcase'. Her er 'the smart grid' hovedsageligt forstået i forhold til det politiske mål om at basere energisystemet 100 % på vedvarende energi, hovedsageligt vindenergi og biomasse, inden2050. I en dansk kontekst forventes husholdningerne at spille en meget specifik rolle i 'the smart grid': den øgede produktion af 'grøn' el efterhånden som flere vindmøller integreres i systemet kræver, at husholdningerne også forbruger mere el og blandt andet investerer i varmepumper og elbiler, hvorved de elektrificerer varme og transport. For at udnytte den fluktuerende vindenergi bedre og undgå spidsbelastninger i nettet, så forventes husholdningerne dog også at bruge el mere 'fleksibelt' med hjælp fra intelligente energistyringsteknologier og motiveret af nye prisstrukturer. Dette betyder, at de f.eks. skalhave deres varmepumpe slukket i perioder med spidsbelastning eller tænde for vaskemaskinen, når 'vinden blæser'. Gennem kvalitativt feltarbejde i det danske smart grid felt og deltagerobservation i eFlexprojektet – et brugerorienteret innovationsprojekt DONG Energy gennemførte med 119husholdninger – har Ph.d. projektet udforsket denne tekno-økonomisk drevne vision for en bæredygtig omstilling af energisystemet. Ved at trække på videnskabs- og teknologistudier(STS) og praksisteori undersøger afhandlingen kritisk visionen for 'the-smart-home-in-thesmart-grid' og peger på de mulige ubæredygtige udviklingsveje, denne vision kan føre til.Afhandlingen udforsker også den rolle, som energisystemaktører spiller i konstruktionen af brugerportrætter, der passer til det system, de gerne vil udvikle.Derudover kritiserer afhandlingen den meget udbredte forståelse af husholdningers forhold til energi, hvorigennem de udelukkende bliver set som værende forbrugere af det og argumenterer for, at dette perspektiv er utilstrækkeligt til at forstå hverdagslivets dynamikker og hvordan det ændrer sig. Etnografisk feltarbejde i 'eFlex husholdninger' demonstrerer fordet første, hvordan husholdninger også kan have mere aktive og innovative roller i systemet og for det andet, hvordan teknologier og husholdningspraksisser indvirker på hinanden.Afhandlingen opfordrer også til et brud med 'smart grid udrulning' terminologien gennem et historisk casestudie af udviklingen af varmepumper i Danmark. På den måde argumentererafhandlingen for, at den nuværende omstilling af energisystemet stadig er et kontroversielt emne og at mange omstillingsveje udover 'smart grid vejen' kan fremkomme, i hvilke husholdninger vil og bør få en vital rolle, der går ud over at tage de rette 'forbrugervalg'. Tilsidst diskuteres hvilke politiske initiativer der kan tages for at understøtte en mere bæredygtig udvikling af samfundet og -konfiguration af energisystemet. ; Increasingly over the last decade, the 'smart grid' has been highlighted in many parts of the world as an important element in a low-carbon transition. The smart grid is a concept that entails the modernisation of the electricity system with information and communication technologies, in order to make the system more 'intelligent' and balance electricity production and consumption better. This new design is thought to address several current challenges to the electricity system, such as the increased integration of intermittent renewable energy sources due to climate change issues, peak demand and black-outs, fuel security, fraud and inaccurate billing. The present PhD project aims to explore the role households play in a sustainable transition of the energy system and takes as its point of departure the Danish smart grid case. Here the smart grid is dominantly framed in relation to the political goal of basing the energy system100 % on renewable energy, mainly wind power and biomass, by 2050. In a Danish context, households are expected to have a very specific role in the smart grid: the growing production of 'green' electricity, as more wind turbines are integrated in the system, requires that households also increasingly consume electricity through, among other things, the investment in heat pumps and electric cars, whereby they 'electrify' heating and transport. However, to utilise the intermittent wind energy production better and avoid escalating peakloads, households are expected to consume electricity more 'flexibly', with the aid of smarthome energy management technologies and motivated by new pricing structures. This means they should, for instance, have their heat pump turned off during peak hours or turn on their washing machine 'when the wind blows'. Through qualitative fieldwork in the Danish smart grid case and participatory observation inthe eFlex project – a user oriented smart grid innovation project commissioned by the energygroup 'DONG Energy' involving 119 Danish households – the PhD project explores this techno-economically-driven vision for a sustainable transition of the energy system. By drawing on science and technology Studies (STS) and practice theory, the thesis investigates critically the vision of 'the smart-home-in-the-smart-grid' and points out possible unsustainable development paths that may result from this vision. The thesis also investigates critically the role energy system actors play in constructing consumer images that 'fit' with the system that is being built. Furthermore it is argued that the pervasive framing of the householders' relationship to energy solely in terms of their role as consumers of it is insufficient in terms of understanding the dynamics of everyday life and how it changes. Ethnographic fieldwork in 'eFlexhouseholds' demonstrates firstly how householders can also have more active and innovative roles in the system and, secondly, how smart technologies interact with the continuous changes of domestic practices. The thesis also calls for a break with the 'smart grid roll-out' terminology by unfolding a historical case study of the development of heat pumps in the Danish energy system. Thus, it is argued that the present low carbon transition of the energy system is still a contested issue, and that many development paths besides the 'smart gridpath' can emerge in which households will and should play a vital role beyond making the'right consumer choices'. Finally, a discussion of the policy initiatives that can support a more sustainable societal development and configuration of the energy system is presented.

Chemicals regulation is under pressure for change, and lessons from former experience are important to inform the process. This paper is based on a case study of the Danish measures towards regulating a specific substance, Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS), and the case is used to deepen the understanding of how chemicals regulation is being shaped through social and political processes, and which lessons can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of different regulatory measures. We outline briefly the history of the chemicals regulation as a background for the detailed discussion of the case study. Finally, we present a few tentative proposals for future changes of the chemicals regulation and conclude with relating the case to the ecological modernization discourse.

Ecological economics is an increasingly important subject that addresses the current conflict between positive economic growth and negative environmental consequences. In this state-of-the-art two-volume set, the editors, both leading scholars in their field, have selected the most important recently published papers on the subject. This authoritative collection will be a vital resource for researchers and practitioners in ecological economics, human ecology, industrial ecology and environmental sciences

There is overwhelming evidence that one of the most important challenges facing society today is the growing scale and unequal distribution of consumption of natural resources. Both the socio-economic implications of resource scarcities and the documented decline in provision of and rising threats to ecosystem services have spurred parts of the academic and policy communities into identification of problems and solutions. Some of the most fundamental debates, led by researchers from various disciplines, centre around economic growth and sustainable consumption. However, there is often a lack of knowledge exchange between these researchers as well as between researchers and policy makers. Together with other factors this results in slow policy progress. In this paper, we seek to contribute to the dialogue and understanding between sustainability science and policy by identifying a set of important research questions that link the challenges of sustainable consumption with economic growth debates and critiques. The research questions have been identified through an extensive participatory process involving leading researchers and policy makers responsible for sustainability policies throughout the whole EU and cover five areas (food, housing, mobility, information and communication technology, finance). The aim of the research questions is to orient researchers towards important research priorities as well as guide policy makers and public authorities in funding of research and use of sound scientific evidence and policy advice to inform decision making. We anticipate that addressing these questions will contribute to rethinking of societal institutions and forms of consumption in order to transition towards sustainability, while improving the synergy between policy and sustainability science. This paper presents some results of the RESPONDER project, Linking Research and Policy Making for Managing the Contradictions of Sustainable Consumption and Economic Growth, funded by the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme, 2011–2014.

Although practice theory has been a mainstay of social theory for nearly three decades, so far it has had very limited impact on media studies. This book draws on the work of practice theorists such as Wittgenstein, Foucault, Bourdieu, Barth and Schatzki and rethinks the study of media from the perspective of practice theory. Drawing on ethnographic case studies from places such as Zambia, India, Hong Kong, the United States, Britain, Norway and Denmark, the contributors address a number of important themes: media as practice; the interlinkage between media, culture and practice; the contextual study of media practices; and new practices of digital production. Collectively, these chapters make a strong case for the importance of theorising the relationship between media and practice and thereby adding practice theory as a new strand to the study of anthropology of media