Bio-economy in the spotlight
Bio-economy strives for a long-term conversion of the economic production basis from fossil to biogenic raw materials, waste, and renewable energy sources, and is seen by its advocates as a tool to cope with global challenges such as population growth, climate change, and an increasing demand for resources. But are the existing land resources sufficient to base our entire economy on biomass? And does the thesis of the protagonists that bio-economy is sustainable by itself, apply under all circumstances? The new project "The concept of bio-economy – Reflections on the theoretical background, goals, visions, and expectations" deals with these and other questions.
Key issues are the genesis of the concept, the background, visions, and overarching goals in different European and non-European countries. In addition, deficits and weaknesses of the concept regarding the sustainability criteria applied, the assessment of the potentials, or the participation of different social groups will be identified. Another concern is the discussion of alternatives to the implementation strategy pursued in Germany.
The energetic and material use of biomass has been a subject of ITAS research for many years and has been studied in numerous case studies. However, so far a detailed discussion on the theoretical basis has only taken place to a very limited extent. Therefore the aim of this research project is to undertake a critical reflection of the bio-based economy and contribute to the theoretical basis of future ITAS case studies in this field. (09.03.2015)
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