Suchergebnisse

Arvioitu teos: Kujala, Antti 2019. Kivenmurskaajat. Kolonialismin historia. Jyväskylä: Atena Kustannus Oy.

Kirja-arvio: Jason W. Moore (2015) Capitalism in the Web of Life. Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital. Lontoo: Verso.

The transition away from fossil fuel based infrastructure for heating and cooling has to happen on a scale and timetable with no historical precedent. As the systems are large and networked, path-dependencies constrain the transition that is further complicated by the diversity of stakeholders. Here we analyze the case of transitioning the district heating system in the city of Helsinki, Finland, within the target of a carbon neutral metropolitan area. Despite relatively advanced climate policies, path-dependencies on the political, technological-material and economical levels interact in creating a "wicked" problem with no obvious solution and potential for backsliding. It is in this context that a possibility of a green paradox arises: despite the explicit commitment of all stakeholders toward carbon dioxide emission reductions, the combination of the path-dependencies may result in a transition that increases emissions. Our results highlight policy implications of path-dependencies for researchers, government and business. ; Peer reviewed

As a part of its climate policy, Finnish government facilitated the creation of low-carbon roadmaps by sectors of industry. The roadmap process and the roadmaps were promoted as an international benchmark in COP26. They also form a part of the policy process towards the government's goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. We analyse the need and role of biomass use contained in the roadmaps of the key sectors and compare it to data on available forest biomass. The combined need for forest biomass in the roadmaps is well over 140 Mm(3), which is over double that of the logging level in 2019, and drastically over the roadmaps' projection of future sustainable yield. This creates a challenge for the carbon neutrality goal via the loss of carbon sinks in forests, risking the carbon neutrality target and other sustainability goals. Although, up to date, the roadmaps present the most detailed picture of industrial transformation towards carbon neutrality in an EU member state, they are made unrealistic by the omission of a comprehensive material perspective. The addition of such a perspective and a clear setting of boundaries would increase the viability of the roadmaps as a policy tool. ; Peer reviewed

As the literature on environmental security has evolved and widened, knowledge of the full range of potential consequences of environmental change for different societies remains scattered. This article contributes to a more comprehensive approach to the implications of environmental change by providing a three-level framework of the security impacts. In particular, it will address gaps in knowledge by pointing out the relevance of geopolitical and structural factors behind environmental security impacts. The article will focus on the cases of two countries, Finland and Sweden—both seen as stable, high-income democracies that are well equipped to adapt to climate risks. Yet even under these conditions, preparedness to threat-prevention will not follow without a recognition of the full range of risks, including ones that are linked to socio-economic and geopolitical factors. On the basis of the Finnish and Swedish cases, the article proposes an analytical framework of three categories of environmental security impacts: local, geopolitical and structural. ; Peer reviewed

Despite an increasing recognition that environmental change may have implications for security, there only are few policies to address the issue. This article will look at environmental security policies in Finland and Sweden and propose ways to develop more effective measures. It relies on a three-level framework that aims to enable the identification of environmental security impacts by categorising them into local, geopolitical and structural ones. The article will examine present environmental security strategies and policies in Finland and Sweden, consider their efficacy for addressing various kinds of impacts and point out approaches that are currently missing. Based on the discussion, it argues that a comprehensive policy approach is needed to tackle environmental security impacts. This requires closer coordination and interchange between sectors as well as strategic intent. In addition, further research is needed on the structural impacts of mitigating and adapting to environmental change. ; Peer reviewed

Ekologisten kriisien hillitsemiseksi yhteiskuntien on toteutettava nopea kestävyysmurros. Teollisuuden uudistaminen on tässä tehtävässä ratkaisevassa asemassa. Poliittisen talouden tutkimuksessa on kiinnitetty huomiota erityisesti valtioiden tärkeään rooliin kestävyysmurroksen ohjaamisessa. Ekologisen kriisin nopean hillinnän vuoksi kasvavaa kiinnostusta on kohdistunut myös uudenlaisen teollisuuspolitiikan ja talouden suunnittelun tutkimukseen. Suunnitelmallista teollista kestävyyssiirtymää koskevat tutkimushavainnot ovat kuitenkin jääneet toistaiseksi hajanaisiksi ja yleistasoisiksi. Artikkeli osallistuu poliittisen talouden tutkimuksen piirissä käytävään kestävyysmurroskeskusteluun analysoimalla teollisen siirtymän roolia kestävyysmurroksessa. Artikkeli keskittyy teollisen siirtymän suunnittelun edellytyksiin Suomen kaltaisessa pitkälle teollistuneessa valtiossa ja ehdottaa teollisen siirtymän edistämiseksi tiedevetoisen suunnittelun ideaa. Artikkeli osoittaa, että tiedevetoisella suunnittelulla voi olla teollista siirtymää ja siihen tarvittavaa tiedontuotantoa merkittävästi edistävä vaikutus. Tiedevetoisen suunnittelun konkretisoimiseksi artikkeli ehdottaa lopuksi teollisen siirtymän suunnitteluyksikköä institutionaalisena ratkaisuna kestävyysmurroksen edistämiseksi kansallisessa kontekstissa.