Governance of eco effiency in Japan: An institutional approach

The article analyses Japanese approaches to dealing with eco-efficiency from aninstitutional perspective. Our main outlook is that though promising attempts havebeen made despite the overall economic crisis, a better horizontal coordinationamong both administrations and businesses is required. The governance processescan be analysed following approaches developed by New Institutional Economicsand related policy analysis. The paper is divided into three sections. The first introduces the concept of eco-efficiency and explains the demand for regulatorypolicies from theories of market failures; the paper argues in favour of innovation-oriented regulation. The second examines how a nation's institutional capabilitiesinfluence knowledge generation towards new solutions that sell on the markets;the capacity-building approach as developed by Martin Jänicke is explicitly discussed. The third section discusses contemporary Japanese policies with regardto waste, energy and material flows both on the governmental and the businesslevel. It explains how European approaches diffuse and merge with domestic Japanese institutions. However, governance of eco-efficiency is expected tocontinue to differ due to ongoing national differences and specific conditions of knowledge creation. --

Informational Barriers to Energy Efficiency – Theory and European Policies

This BEER addresses informational barriers to energy efficiency. It is a widely acknowledged result that an energy efficiency gap exists implying that the level of energy efficiency is at an inefficiently low level. Several barriers to energy efficiency create this gap and the presence of asymmetric information is likely to be one such barrier. In this article a theoretical framework is presented addressing the issues of moral hazard and adverse selection related to energy efficiency. Based on the theoretical framework, European policies on energy efficiency are evaluated. The article is divided into two main parts. The first part presents the theory on information asymmetries and its consequences on energy efficiency focusing on the problems of moral hazard and adverse selection. Having established a theoretical framework to understand the agency barriers to energy efficiency, the second part evaluates the policies of the European Union on energy efficiency. The BEER finds that problems of moral hazard and adverse selection indeed can help explain the seemingly low levels of energy. In both presented models the cost to the principal from implementing high energy efficiency outcome is increased with the informational asymmetries. The theory reveals two implications to policies on energy efficiency. First, the development of measures to enable contractual parties to base remuneration on energy performance must be enhanced, and second, the information on technologies and the education of consumers and installers on energy efficiency must be increased. This could be complemented with certification of installers and energy efficiency advisors to enable consumers to select good agents. Finally, it is found that the preferred EU policy instrument on energy efficiency, so far, seems to be the use of minimum requirements. Less used in EU legislation is the use of measuring and verification as well as the use of certifications. Therefore, it is concluded that the EU should consider an increased use of these instruments, and in particular focus on a further development of standards on measurability and verification as well as an increased focus on education of consumers as well as installers and advisors on energy efficiency.Energy efficiency, Informational barriers, European policies

A "Triple-I" Strategy for the Future of Europe. Bruges European Economic Policy (BEEP) Briefing 10/2005

The paper lays down a strategy consisting of Innovation, Internalisation of Externalities, and Integration – called Triple I. ‘Innovation’ is seen along value chain management in a systems perspective, driven by competition and participation of stakeholders. ‘Internalisation’ refers to endogenous efforts by industry to assess externalities and to foster knowledge generation that leads to benefits for both business and society. ‘Integration’ highlights the role business and its various forms of cooperation might play in policy integration within Europe and beyond. Looking forward towards measures to be taken, the paper explores some frontiers for a partnership between public and private sector: i) Increasing resource productivity, lowering material cost, ii) Energy integration with Southeast Europe and Northern Africa, iii) Urban mobility services and public transport, iv) Tradable emission permits beyond Europe. Finally, some conclusions from the perspective of the College of Europe are drawn

Mineral resources in the age of climate adaptation and resilience

This article discusses issues on resources availability to achieve climate adaptation and resilience for cities and infrastructures. In the age of climate change, there could be cascading failures through a range of infrastructure breakdowns. Direct and indirect damage costs could exceed what had been estimated in traditional risk assessments. This could be exacerbated through abrupt price peaks in international supply chains of minerals, and through events happening in remote parts of the world that affect extraction and vulnerable industries. The core argument made here is one of feedbacks: climate adaptation has significant resource implications, and how resources are being used will have implications on climate strategies. Industrial Ecology has a role to play assessing those interactions and providing a better grasp of the spatial dimension of material flows, partly to track those flows and align them to specific actors, and partly to address interlinkages across different flows and their stocks (‘the resource nexus’). Methodological novelties are needed to better understand the resource base and the socio‐economic dimension, especially on innovations and transitions that can help to cope with the challenges ahead. Altogether this would enable research to establish an evidence base on sustainable materials to deliver parts of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to reassess infrastructure assets and the mineral resources in the age of climate adaptation and resilience

Cognitive and institutional perspectives of eco-efficiency

The paper sketches out a theoretical framework for analysing the interplay between eco-efficiency, cognition and institutions. It derives from analytical shortfalls of the prevailing literature, which features strongly engineering and business economics, by using insights from New Institutional Economics, from Cognitive Science and, partly, from Evolutionary Economics. It emphasises the role cognition and institutions play in the adoption of "green" technologies by firms. A cognitive perspective derives from recent research on simple heuristics and context-based rationality; it is proposed that those findings can serve to analyse decision-making of individual actors respectively firms and, thus, should complement economic analysis. A second proposition is that eco-efficiency and normative rules such as a Factor Four strongly rely upon institutions, i.e. the ability of institutions to evolve over time and the development of those institutions that are most appropriate to enhance technological change. In this regard, business institutions and competition are crucial, but regulatory needs remain in order to safeguard continuity of knowledge creation. The framework allows for an analysis why overall adoption of eco-efficiency still can be considered relatively slow and why some markets and firms are far ahead. As a brief case study the article reflects upon German waste law's ability to enhance eco-efficiency

How lithium mined from hot springs in Cornwall could boost Britain’s green tech

Cornwall, on England’s south coast, is best known these days for surfing and sandcastles. But for centuries it was world famous for its tin and copper mines. Now, a recent discovery could see a mining boom in the county once again – and the whole UK should benefit

Der Ressourcen-Nexus als Frühwarnsystem für zukünftige zwischenstaatliche Konflikte

Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag analysiert den Ressourcen-Nexus, das heißt das Wirkungsgeflecht zwischen Nutzungsformen natürlicher Ressourcen, als Thema der Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik. Er diskutiert das Zusammenwirken von Energie, Wasser, Nahrungsmitteln, Land und mineralischen Rohstoffen im Lichte der aktuellen Debatten und analysiert mögliche Konflikte und Chancen, die sich daraus ergeben. Diese Debatte gewinnt Einfluss, weil sie Akteure aus unterschiedlichen Politikbereichen zusammenführt. Der Artikel entwickelt erste Schritte, wie diese Thematik angegangen werden kann und wie ein Frühwarnsystem aussehen könnte. Deutschland könnte im Zuge einer wachsenden Verantwortung eine internationale Initiative zum Ressourcen-Nexus initiieren. Abstract The article analyses the resource nexus, i.e. interlinkages among the resources energy, water, food, land, and minerals as a challenge for foreign policy. Reviewing recent debates it underlines both potential conflicts and opportunities. The debate is gaining ground as many actors from a variety of policy areas express stakes in it. The article derives steps on encountering the challenges ahead and develops elements of a risk radar. Germany may accept international responsibility and initiate an international forum on the resource nexus

The Coal Question: Still Alive

This is a turbulent year for commodity markets, and yet, almost unnoticed it also marks the 150 years anniversary for one of the most important books ever written on the issue. William Stanley Jevons, a professor at UCL, published his book entitled ‘The coal question – an Inquiry Concerning the Progress of the Nation, and the Probable Exhaustion of Our Coal Mines’ in 1865. His book should still serve as a useful reference for contemporary debates. So, why should such an old book be of relevance for us today? The straightforward answer is to consider it as wellspring of knowledge about the interface of geology and economics, i.e. resource economics, but I’d like to also offer three avenues worth exploring and derive some propositions for the future

Accelerating transitions for a Green Deal: Preparing a recovery after the pandemic

Here, Prof Dr Raimund Bleischwitz discusses the overlaps between transitioning to a Green Deal and preparing for recovery after the pandemi

The return of global governance: This time it comes with many faces

The ocean’s pollution with plastics has stirred multiple promising responses across the globe. Are we on the verge of a new type of global governance? Prof Dr Raimund Bleischwitz explains how such governance may look and what is still missin