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Circular and Climate-Neutral Solutions: Biomass as the Base of Our Future Circular Society

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 12854

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Wageningen Environmental Research, Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: water and sediment connectivity; catchment processes; nature-based solutions; forest fire; sustainable land management
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Guest Editor
Team Soil, Water and Land Use, Wageningen University and Research (WUR), 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: water-climate-energy-food nexus; food security; biobased & circular economy themes; bioeconomy; agricultural policy reforms (CAP reform); (indirect) land use change; biobased policies (RED); forestry (REDD); trade liberalisation (WTO, impact on developing countries); climate change (adaptation and mitigation policies); technology at macro and micro level
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Circular and climate-neutral society, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: sustainable land use; climate-smart land use; data revolution; healthy soils; fair and functional land use; environmental performance; carbon capture in soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A transition towards a circular, biobased and climate-smart society is the answer to many of the societal challenges we are facing today. Circular systems in the green and blue domains will close water, nutrient and carbon cycles and, thereby, minimize resource losses and climate change effects, hence ensuring that society can live within the limits of the planet. Integrated circular systems will replace linear systems by making smart connections within and between terrestrial (plant- and animal-based) and marine production cycles and strengthen networks. ethink our food and biobased systems and the economy; think about new economic perspectives in a circular biobased society; and consider social organization and risk management in a circular biobased society and partnerships, to facilitate governance in transitions. This Special Issue aims to showcase how biomass will be the basis of our future circular society, and how circular and climate-neutral solutions provoke changes in the biosphere, economy and society.

Suggested topics:

We invite authors to submit papers addressing the following overall questions:

  • How can we produce enough food and biomass for essential biobased products (clothes, plastics, construction materials, paper, etc.) while safeguarding our natural resources?
  • How can we avoid losses and waste in our food and biobased systems?
  • How do we ensure that these changes happen in a socially responsible manner, guarantee inclusivity and prevent the exclusion of groups?
  • What new behavior is needed to make sure that the transition to a circular society also ensures climate restoration?
  • How can biomass and bioproducts be best utilized and recycled for different purposes without introducing (new) risks to human health, and how can food safety risks be measured and assessed in a circular production system?
  • Can an inclusive and sustainable economy be achieved with continuous economic growth, or do we need degrowth?
  • Do we need a new economic framework that embeds inclusiveness and planetary boundaries in its core paradigm?
  • How can the world market in a circular society including global and regional competition for biomass between food and non-food products be addressed?
  • What are circular and climate-smart business models (including risk management)?
  • How can governments innovate to facilitate a transition to a circular society – not only by applying traditional regulatory and policy incentives and restrictions but also by appreciating and facilitating societal factors and initiatives?
  • How should the responsibilities for the governance of transitions between public and private actors, and between different layers (global to local) and different policy domains, be allocated?
  • How should these policies and arrangements be monitored and evaluated?

Dr. Saskia Keesstra
Prof. Dr. Hans Van Meijl
Dr. Saskia Visser
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosphere
  • circular society
  • circular economy
  • soil
  • competing claims on land
  • SDGs
  • biomass
  • circular partnerships
  • biobased products
  • transitions

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 619 KiB  
Article
Model Collaboration between Farm Level Models with Application on Dutch Dairy and Arable Farms Regarding Circular Agricultural Policy
by John Helming, Co Daatselaar, Wim van Dijk, Herman Mollenhorst and Seyyed Hassan Pishgar-Komleh
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5020; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065020 - 12 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1901
Abstract
The ambition of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture is to stimulate the transition to circular agriculture. The objective of this paper is to develop and apply a farm level model toolbox for circular-agriculture policy assessment. Transition to circular agriculture affects farm management practices [...] Read more.
The ambition of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture is to stimulate the transition to circular agriculture. The objective of this paper is to develop and apply a farm level model toolbox for circular-agriculture policy assessment. Transition to circular agriculture affects farm management practices and outcome in the field of finance and economics, soil quality, use of finite resources, emissions, and biodiversity. Based on this, there is a need for an integrated assessment at farm level. Therefore, Bio Economic Farm Models should be at the core of the model toolbox. Model collaboration enables answering more complex questions and enlarges the scope of the analysis. Challenges of model collaboration are among others overlapping modules, different approaches (optimisation versus simulation), and existence of different networks of model developers and users. It is argued that a governance structure and networking will foster model collaboration. To stimulate transition to more circular agriculture practices and as a demonstration, the model toolbox was applied to assess the economic and environmental impacts of a tax on N from mineral fertiliser on a representative dairy and arable farm in a region in the Netherlands. It was found that a tax on N from mineral fertiliser has relatively large income effects, while the impacts on various environmental indicators are relatively limited. Full article
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19 pages, 616 KiB  
Article
Blind Spot for Pioneering Farmers? Reflections on Dutch Dairy Sustainability Transition
by Anne-Charlotte Hoes and Lusine Aramyan
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10959; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710959 - 2 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2430
Abstract
This study explores the questions of how to govern the transition towards sustainable farming in a responsible and inclusive manner by exploring the Dutch dairy case. Sustainability transition is about fundamental social–technical changes to address the grand challenges that society faces today. It [...] Read more.
This study explores the questions of how to govern the transition towards sustainable farming in a responsible and inclusive manner by exploring the Dutch dairy case. Sustainability transition is about fundamental social–technical changes to address the grand challenges that society faces today. It includes breaking down and phasing out unsustainable practice as well as scaling up sustainable alternatives. Transition literature argues that governments should implement a mix of transition tasks to give direction, support the new and destabilase the unsustainable. In addition, market-based instruments (MBIs) and policy interventions rewarding sustainable farming stimulate transition. This study illustrates that strong and prolonged pressure of not meeting international environmental agreements triggered the implementation of stronger policy interventions that destabilize the unsustainable. However, less policy attention seems to be given to supporting the “new”, such as pioneering alternative farmers who develop sustainable alternatives to mainstream farming. To achieve more responsible and inclusive sustainability transitions, it is important to implement tailor-made policies that support pioneering alternative farmers who are already taking steps in developing sustainable farms which, in addition to food, provide ecological and other benefits to community. Full article
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19 pages, 2798 KiB  
Article
The Butterfly Framework for the Assessment of Transitions towards a Circular and Climate Neutral Society
by Harriëtte L. Bos, Wim de Haas and Raymond E.E. Jongschaap
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1516; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031516 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3764
Abstract
The Butterfly framework of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) for assessing transitions towards a circular and climate-neutral society is presented. The Butterfly framework is built after analysis of existing frameworks that could only partly comply with the needs of the full set of [...] Read more.
The Butterfly framework of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) for assessing transitions towards a circular and climate-neutral society is presented. The Butterfly framework is built after analysis of existing frameworks that could only partly comply with the needs of the full set of stakeholders interlinked and operating in domains like society and well-being; food, feed, and biobased production; natural resources and living environment. It shows that for adequate action perspectives on and in these domains, the socio-ecological, socio-technical, and socio-institutional subsystems should be fully integrated, and stakeholders should be equally consulted and appreciated. In order to advance and integrate action perspectives of different stakeholders in the light of the transition to circularity with high-level ambitions like climate neutrality, stakeholders (groups) need to understand their position and links in a full systems perspective, which the Butterfly framework provides. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 3425 KiB  
Review
Defining Circular Economy Principles for Biobased Products
by Iris Vural Gursel, Berien Elbersen, Koen P. H. Meesters and Myrna van Leeuwen
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12780; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912780 - 7 Oct 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3780
Abstract
To support progress towards the transition to a circular economy, the ability to measure circularity is essential. The consideration of the role biobased products can play in this transition is however still largely lacking in the current development of circularity monitoring approaches. The [...] Read more.
To support progress towards the transition to a circular economy, the ability to measure circularity is essential. The consideration of the role biobased products can play in this transition is however still largely lacking in the current development of circularity monitoring approaches. The first step in coming to a suitable monitoring framework for biobased products is to define circular economy principles. In this paper, specific characteristics of biobased products were considered in defining six circular economy principles for biobased products: (1). Reduce reliance on fossil resources, (2). Use resources efficiently, (3). Valorize waste and residues, (4). Regenerate, (5). Recirculate and (6). Extend the high-quality use of biomass. In order to evaluate the circularity performance of biobased products with respect to these principles, what needs to be measured was defined considering both intrinsic circularity and impact of this circularity. The intrinsic indicators provide a measure of success in implementation of these circularity principles, and the latter impacts of circularity, i.e., impact of closing the loops on accumulation of hazardous substances and impact of circularity on sustainability (environmental, economic and social). Yet, to unlock the potential of a sustainable circular bioeconomy, strong accompanying measures are required. Full article
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