Hinterlands and Heartlands in the Green Transition: Regional Perspectives on Novel Biomass Exploitation

TY - BOOK

T1 - Hinterlands and Heartlands in the Green Transition

T2 - Regional Perspectives on Novel Biomass Exploitation

AU - Christensen, Lotte Dalgaard

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - Our society must reduce the use of fossil fuels as the green transition unfolds, and look for renewable and biodegradable alternatives. In theory, anything made from fossil-based materials today can be made from refined biomass tomorrow, and science has already taken major steps towards this end. However, increased use of biomass might cause land-use changes, biodiversity loss, and disruption of ecosystems. The path towards a fossil-free society therefore combines sustainable intensification of biomass production with conservation of critical, natural resources. As biomass resources are often abundant in rural, coastal, and remote regions, these regions are vital for the success of the green transition. This Ph.d. project therefore analyzes the ways in which rural regions might be affected as our society transitions from a fossil-based economy to a fully fledged bioeconomy. Will the exploitation of novel bio-resources alleviate some of those economic and demographic trends that currently challenge many rural communities in industrialized countries? Or will these disparities persist or even deepen? This thesis addresses these questions from the perspective of staple theory. Although staple scholars often view natural resources as either curses or blessings, the papers of this thesis demonstrate that staple theory allows us to understand resource-dependent regional development in much more nuanced ways. Combining a set-theoretic cross-case analysis of Nordic bioeconomy industries with an in-depth case study of Faroese seaweed cultivation and game theoretic modelling of technology-uptake, the papers also show that regional development is not always reconcilable with environmental sustainability. This thesis therefore explores whether payments for ecosystem services can solve this dilemma, but finds this policy instrument to be no universal solution. However, this thesis argues that staple theory will remain analytically relevant in a bioeconomy that values its natural resources according to the ecosystem principle. The findings of this thesis therefore imply that policy-makers should take the context-sensitive nature of the bioeconomy seriously, and carefully adhere to the principles of deliberative democracy when implementing novel bio-technologies and formulating green transition policy goals.

AB - Our society must reduce the use of fossil fuels as the green transition unfolds, and look for renewable and biodegradable alternatives. In theory, anything made from fossil-based materials today can be made from refined biomass tomorrow, and science has already taken major steps towards this end. However, increased use of biomass might cause land-use changes, biodiversity loss, and disruption of ecosystems. The path towards a fossil-free society therefore combines sustainable intensification of biomass production with conservation of critical, natural resources. As biomass resources are often abundant in rural, coastal, and remote regions, these regions are vital for the success of the green transition. This Ph.d. project therefore analyzes the ways in which rural regions might be affected as our society transitions from a fossil-based economy to a fully fledged bioeconomy. Will the exploitation of novel bio-resources alleviate some of those economic and demographic trends that currently challenge many rural communities in industrialized countries? Or will these disparities persist or even deepen? This thesis addresses these questions from the perspective of staple theory. Although staple scholars often view natural resources as either curses or blessings, the papers of this thesis demonstrate that staple theory allows us to understand resource-dependent regional development in much more nuanced ways. Combining a set-theoretic cross-case analysis of Nordic bioeconomy industries with an in-depth case study of Faroese seaweed cultivation and game theoretic modelling of technology-uptake, the papers also show that regional development is not always reconcilable with environmental sustainability. This thesis therefore explores whether payments for ecosystem services can solve this dilemma, but finds this policy instrument to be no universal solution. However, this thesis argues that staple theory will remain analytically relevant in a bioeconomy that values its natural resources according to the ecosystem principle. The findings of this thesis therefore imply that policy-makers should take the context-sensitive nature of the bioeconomy seriously, and carefully adhere to the principles of deliberative democracy when implementing novel bio-technologies and formulating green transition policy goals.

KW - bioeconomy

KW - green transition

KW - regional development

KW - seaweed cultivation

KW - game theory

KW - staple theory

KW - set-theoretic models

KW - Environmental sustainability

KW - Nordic countries

M3 - Ph.D. thesis

BT - Hinterlands and Heartlands in the Green Transition

PB - Århus Universitet

ER -