Beyond 2020: Moving from objectives to governance to master ever more pressing challenges

The adoption of the Territorial Agenda 2030, some 20 years after the adoption of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) (European Commission, 1999) presents an opportunity to both look back on what has been achieved and envisage developments for the next 20 years. This paper starts with some personal reflections on the aspirations put forward in the ESDP and some key achievements. The main part of the paper then concentrates on what might be done differently over the next 20 years. It is argued that because the world has changed substantially since 1999 it is time to breathe new life into the original objectives of the ESDP and support them with clear governance and implementation tools. Furthermore, the geographical coverage ought to be extended to cover the Western Balkans. The final section offers an outlook on what we might want to see when looking back again 20 years from now

Importance of hydrodynamic shielding for the dynamic behavior of short polyelectrolyte chains

The dynamic behavior of polyelectrolyte chains in the oligomer range is investigated with coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation and compared to data obtained by two different experimental methods, namely capillary electrophoresis and electrophoresis NMR. We find excellent agreement of experiments and simulations when hydrodynamic interactions are accounted for in the simulations. We show that the electrophoretic mobility exhibits a maximum in the oligomer range and for the first time illustrate that this maximum is due to the hydrodynamical shielding between the chain monomers. Our findings demonstrate convincingly that it is possible to model dynamic behavior of polyelectrolytes using coarse grained models for both, the polyelectrolyte chains and the solvent induced hydrodynamic interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures -> published versio

The tragedy of the time horizon

Future-orientated thinking needs to be strengthened in planning and policy making to respond to the challenges posed by ‘presentism’. Despite the inherent uncertainty of the future, effective planning and policy making require the ability to envision potential future developments and implications of today´s decisions. The ’tragedy of the time horizon’ emphasises the detrimental effects of short-term thinking on various domains, including the environment, economic stability, and social equity. It encompasses the multifaceted challenges posed by short-term thinking and the neglect of long-term consequences. To combat this, we must boost our future literacy, i.e. the capacity to imagine, read, and use the future, both at the individual and societal levels. Future literacy is vital for navigating uncertainty, making strategic decisions, embracing innovation, enhancing social resilience, and promoting sustainable development. This requires a collective effort to improve future literacy skills, foster imagination and creativity, and overcome the challenges of ‘the tyranny of now’. Envisioning positive futures is crucial for inspiring hope, collaboration, and informed decision-making, particularly in a rapidly changing world

EU territory and policy-making: from words to deeds to promote policy integration

This paper addresses recent developments in the area of EU territorial cohesion. A first section is dedicated to the emergence of the place-based approach as a new paradigm of the EU cohesion policy, and the subsequent need for vertical, horizontal and territorial integration of policies. In a second step, progress recently made in the framework of the EU Territorial Agenda revision process towards a better understanding of, and recognition of the need for, territorial cohesion and policy integration is commented upon. Finally, a case is made for tangible steps to be taken to reform formal EU policy making, to strengthen the territorial dimension of both the overall policy approach and relevant sectoral policies

EU territory and policy-making: from words to deeds to promote policy integration

This paper addresses recent developments in the area of EU territorial cohesion. A first section is dedicated to the emergence of the place-based approach as a new paradigm of the EU cohesion policy, and the subsequent need for vertical, horizontal and territorial integration of policies. In a second step, progress recently made in the framework of the EU Territorial Agenda revision process towards a better understanding of, and recognition of the need for, territorial cohesion and policy integration is commented upon. Finally, a case is made for tangible steps to be taken to reform formal EU policy making, to strengthen the territorial dimension of both the overall policy approach and relevant sectoral policies

A multi-perspective approach for exploring the scenario space of future power systems

There are many possible future energy systems – many of them unforeseen. We explore the range of parameter uncertainty and quantify parameter interrelations to generate multiple scenarios. Only sensible parameter combinations remain as in-puts to an energy system optimization and coupled models. In the past, computa-tional limitations have been a major obstacle to calculate such an enormous space of scenarios. Opposed to that, we use high-performance computing. To utilize the HPC-system efficiently the parallel solver for linear programs PIPS-IPM++ is applied. We integrate it into a tool chain of different components including sce-nario generation, energy system optimization and results evaluation and tackle the challenge of coupling a large diversity of software packages in a fully automated HPC workflow. This enables the calculation of all scenarios in a matter of days. Furthermore, we use a set of 37 indicators to provide a comprehensive assess-ment of the simulated energy systems. In this way, we cover multiple perspec-tives, such as system adequacy, security of supply or behavior of market actors. Whereas scenarios with low spatial resolution do not lead to clear results, higher resolutions do. Yet, we identified three clusters of scenarios, among which a group with high natural gas dependency is found. This allows to study disruptive events like price shocks in a vast parameter space and to identify countermeasures for the long-term

Szenarien mit Energieinfrastrukturausfällen unter Einbezug multipler Parameterunsicherheiten

Der Einsatz von Modellen zur Erstellung und Untersuchung von Szenarien ist ein wesentliches Instrument der Energiesystemanalyse. Für die Politikberatung ist die Frage nach der Verlässlichkeit von solchen Szenarien von großer Wichtigkeit, da diese mit großen Unsicherheiten behaftet sein können. Diesem Problem wird in im Forschungsprojekt UNSEEN begegnet: durch das Abfahren eines sehr großen Parameterraums konnten bereits mehr als 1000 Energieszenarien automatisch generiert, berechnet und ausgewertet werden, darunter auch 100 räumlich hoch-aufgelöste Stromsystemmodelle Deutschlands. Letztere Modelle eignen sich auch zur Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Ausfällen der darin explizit modellierten Energieinfrastrukturen, also von Kraftwerksstandorten, Übertragungsnetzleitungen und Umspannwerken. Der wesentlichen Herausforderung, dafür eine Vielzahl aufwendiger Modellrechnungen performant durchzuführen, begegnen wir mittles eines auf High-Performance-Computing angepassten Modellierungs-Workflows, welcher den entstehenden Szenarioraum auf Basis multi-kriterieller Indikatoren (u. a. zu Angemessenheit, Betriebssicherheit und Wirtschaftlichkeit) bewertbar macht. Die ersten Analysen dieses Szenarioraums zeigen, dass >Best-Perfoming< Szenarien verhältnismäßige geringe Zubauraten für Windkraft aufweisen, bei einer Reduktion der CO2-Emissionen im Stromsektor um 85%-89% gegenüber 1990

Nationella rumsliga planer i fem länder

Nationell horisontal och vertikal integration och europeisk samordning