Valuation of environmental public goods and services at different spatial scales: a review

To manage environmental problems in an adequate way, it is essential to take different spatial scales into consideration. As a tool for decision making, it would be beneficial if valuation methods take spatial scales into account as well. In this article, we review the valuation literature with regard to the spatial scales of environmental public goods and services to which the contingent valuation method, hedonic pricing method, and travel cost method have been applied in the past. We classified 117 environmental case studies to the local, landscape/watershed, regional, and global scales. These case studies cover a broad range of environmental goods and services, such as green space in a city, air quality, rivers, natural areas, and a stable climate system. Additionally, we took into account the year of publication of the case studies. Our results show that the majority of the environmental case studies are related to the local and landscape/watershed scales. However, the number of case studies on the regional and global scales has been increasing in recent years. This article argues that such a change in spatial scale calls for a debate on scaling issues in the field of environmental valuation.

Restorative effects of exposure to nature on children and adolescents: a systematic review

One of the most documented effects of exposure to nature is physical and psychological restoration. Restoration refers to the recovery or strengthening of adaptive resources (e.g., attentional capabilities, positive emotions, etc.) that are being spent in meeting the demands of everyday life. The restorative process has been widely studied in adults, but less is known about the restorative effects that exposure to nature has for children and adolescents. To fill this gap in the literature, we conducted a systematic review aiming at systematically summarizing the accumulated evidence about the restorative effects of nature exposure on children and adolescents and reporting the main findings in terms of the restoration of (1) cognitive, (2) emotional, (3) social or (4) behavioural resources. To conduct the study, we followed the PRISMA procedure. Databases were extracted from Web of Science, PUBMED, and SCOPUS. Studies were selected if (a) they included non-adult participants, (b) they included empirical results at least for one of the four selected variables, (c) the study was published in English and (d) the study had been peer-reviewed. According to these criteria, 30 studies were finally selected. Selected studies were categorized in terms of sample size, duration of the intervention (if applicable), and quality of the study (following the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute assessment tool). Results show that exposure to nature has significant restorative effects, but the effects differ across the selected variables. Due to methodological limitations, such as a lack of measurement standardization, and the scarcity of experimental and longitudinal studies, caution should be exercised when interpreting the available results. Suggestions for future lines of research in this area are providedThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (grant number: PGC2018-095502-B-I00

The distribution systems operator’s role in energy transition:options for change

Distribution Systems Operators (DSOs) are key players in the design and development of a Local Energy System (LES). These systems need to adapt to the fast replacement of fossil fuels by Renewable Energy Sources (RES). With regard to this energy transition, the all-electric system is one of the potentially sustainable, future LESs. However, DSOs face problems in the development of such systems in relation to their role. They wonder how they must adapt their current design process in order to better facilitate energy transition and include values such as participation and the distribution of costs and benefits, which are seen as important by residents and other stakeholders. The purpose of this research is to consider the role of values in the design process of LES by using a value sensitive design method. A case study was set up in a newly built Dutch all-electric neighbourhood using electric heat pumps. Ten semi-structured interviews were held with DSOs’ representatives and other experts. The study resulted in a description of the current and desired design process in the light of the DSOs’ three core values: reliability, affordability and sustainability. We conclude that these are substantive values that relate to the technological artefact. However, four procedural values appear to be of importance too: participation, communication, trust between parties, and distribution of costs and benefits. A value based design approach for LES enables DSOs to better facilitate energy transition. In order to reach this, DSOs, (urban) planners, policymakers, real estate developers and residents have to cooperate in a transparent way during earlier phases in urban planning. More flexibility in the financial structure of investment and operational costs and benefits is required in order to enable future proof energy systems like all-electric neighbourhoods