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This dataset holds information on data and methods for the Melvin et al., 2016 publication entitled Climate change damages to Alaska public infrastructure and the economics of proactive adaptation. The abstract for this paper is as follows: Climate change in the circumpolar region is causing dramatic environmental change that is increasing the vulnerability of infrastructure. We quantified the economic impacts of climate change on Alaska public infrastructure under relatively high and low climate forcing scenarios [representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) and RCP4.5] using an infrastructure model modified to account for unique climate impacts at northern latitudes, including near-surface permafrost thaw. Additionally, we evaluated how proactive adaptation influenced economic impacts on select infrastructure types and developed first-order estimates of potential land losses associated with coastal erosion and lengthening of the coastal ice-free season for 12 communities. Cumulative estimated expenses from climate-related damage to infrastructure without adaptation measures (hereafter damages) from 2015 to 2099 totaled $5.5 billion (2015 dollars, 3% discount) for RCP8.5 and $4.2 billion for RCP4.5, suggesting that reducing greenhouse gas emissions could lessen damages by $1.3 billion this century. The distribution of damages varied across the state, with the largest damages projected for the interior and southcentral Alaska. The largest source of damages was road flooding caused by increased precipitation followed by damages to buildings associated with near-surface permafrost thaw. Smaller damages were observed for airports, railroads, and pipelines. Proactive adaptation reduced total projected cumulative expenditures to $2.9 billion for RCP8.5 and $2.3 billion for RCP4.5. For road flooding, adaptation provided an annual savings of 80–100% across four study eras. For nearly all infrastructure types and time periods evaluated, damages and adaptation costs were larger for RCP8.5 than RCP4.5. Estimated coastal erosion losses were also larger for RCP8.5.

Sustainability aspects and their verification are becoming indispensable for companies in the textile industry from both an economic and a legal perspective. The reason for this is that there is a large number of different certificates, specifications, and labels, such as Global Organic Textile Standard, Fairtrade, or OekoTex, as well as legislation, such as the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains issued in 2021. Hence, the requirements for keeping the proof, e.g. for the batch-accurate world-wide tracing of organic cotton for clothing, or for the necessary transparency to determine the carbon footprint or the recycling percentage, are becoming more and more associated with considerable effort, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Depending on the certificate or specification, SMEs need not only to determine their own sustainability information (gate-to-gate), but also that of the upstream stages of the value chain (cradle-to-gate). The multi-stage value chains of the SME-dominated textile industry, together with the vast and fast-changing variety of materials and products, lead to high complexity in processes and communication. In addition, when confronted with batch-related sustainability criteria and a variety of sustainability and labelling requests from different customers, SMEs have to spend an increasing amount of time and effort on the reliable provision and communication of the respective information. The paper describes the challenges and existing approaches, e.g. the use of blockchain technology, associated with the provision of cradle-to-gate sustainability information in textile SMEs and proposes a holistic framework enabling SMEs along the value chain to configure and implement an infrastructure for efficient, fully digital cloud-ready workflow, based on process models and textile product master trees, in order to address these challenges.

In the context of our project, we organised a webinar at which almost 200 participants assisted. It was aimed at everyone who cares about a greener and more sustainable future. The development of sustainable and resource-saving processes is a major focus of R&D&I work, also supported heavily by the European Commission as part of the Green Deal and the sustainability efforts. In this context, biotechnology is already acting as a facilitator to achieve a circular economy and a bioeconomy. We aim to achieve these goals with the identification, optimisation, production and application of innovative enzymes to support the transformation of various industrial sectors and their consumer products. In this webinar, we wanted to present the competences and topics we acquire or work on in FuturEnzyme to an interested international audience. With this CLIB Forum event, we want to emphasise and promote the need for collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers for a greener and more sustainable future. Furthermore, our webinar was also of interest for policy makers, funding bodies, investors and consumers. The FuturEnzyme project partners CSIC, Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the University of Hamburg presented their activities in the project and beyond to a wide range audience.

Die weltweite Nutzung von Energie aus erneuerbaren Quellen wie Wind, Sonne, Biomasse, Wasser oder Erdwärme steigt kontinuierlich. Eine Vielzahl von Ländern hat im Rahmen ihrer Aktivitäten zum Klimaschutz Ziele für den zukünftigen Ausbau von erneuerbarer Energien verabschiedet. Trotz dieser vielfach ambitionierten Vorgaben und ansteigender installierter Kapazität von erneuerbaren Energien, treten Hindernisse bei der Umsetzung der politischen Ziele zu Tage und deren Erreichen wird gefährdet. Vielfältige Gründe für diese Schwierigkeiten konnten bisher identifiziert werden. Um erfolgreich die Diffusion von erneuerbaren Energietechnologien voranzutreiben und die politischen Zielvorgaben zu erfüllen, müssen die bekannten Hindernisse adressiert und Lösungen gefunden werden. Planungs- und Genehmigungsprozesse als Teil der Entscheidung über die Zulassung erneuerbarer Energieprojekte sind ein Faktor für die erfolgreiche Diffusion dieser neuen Technologien. Ein Element von Planung und Genehmigung sind oftmals Umweltprüfungen. Diese erfordern die Ermittlung und Berücksichtigung der Auswirkungen von erneuerbaren Energieprojekten auf die Umwelt. Das Ziel diese Dissertation ist die Ableitung von Hypothesen zur Rolle von Umweltprüfungen bei der Diffusion von erneuerbaren Energien und zur Notwendigkeit von Innovation bzw. Adaption dieses Instruments. Dieses Ziel wird erreicht durch die Analyse von gesetzlichen Vorgaben sowie der Praxis von Umweltprüfungen im Bereich von erneuerbaren Energien. Dazu werden zwei Fallbeispiele, die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika sowie Deutschland, untersucht und verglichen. Grundsätzlich kann die Schlussfolgerung gezogen werden, dass Umweltprüfungen in bestimmten Aspekten verändert werden müssen, um den besonderen Herausforderungen bei der Diffusion von erneuerbaren Energien gerecht zu werden. Einige Bereiche der gesetzlichen Vorgaben sowie der Praxis von Umweltprüfungen stellen derzeit Hindernisse dar. Als ein Feld für zukünftige Forschung wird die Charakterisierung sowie empirischer Validierung der Rolle von Umweltprüfungen bei der Diffusion von erneuerbaren Energietechnologien gesehen. Weiterhin ist es nötig, die Prozesse, durch die eine Veränderung von rechtlichen Grundlagen sowie der Praxis von Umweltprüfung erreicht werden können, besser zu verstehen. Dabei ist es von besonderem Interesse zu analysieren, welche Rolle länderübergreifendes Lernen und der Transfer von Erfahrungen haben. The worldwide generation of energy from renewable resources such as wind, sun, biomass, water or ground heat, is constantly growing. Numerous countries have adopted renewable energy goals, often as part of their policies on fighting climate change. However, despite ambitious policy goals and increasing numbers in installed capacity, difficulties in the diffusion of renewable energy technologies occur and are jeopardizing the achievement of the targets. Several aspects have been identified to account for these difficulties in renewable energy diffusion. In order to successfully realize the diffusion of renewable energy technologies and to reach the goals for their future contribution to energy generation, the existing hindrances need to be addressed and solved. Planning and permitting, as the relevant decision-making processes, are one element of successful siting and deployment of renewable energy. Part of these planning and permitting processes often are environmental assessments (EA) requiring the consideration of the effects and impacts of the proposed renewable energy projects on the environment. The goal of this PhD thesis is the generation of hypotheses on the role of EA in the diffusion of renewable energy technologies, and on the need for innovation/adaptation of EA to fit the innovation system of renewable energy technology diffusion. This goal will be pursuit by the analysis of EA systems and EA practice related to renewable energy diffusion. Two cases will be analyzed and compared, namely the United States of America and Germany. In general, the conclusion can be drawn that EA for renewable energy diffusion needs to be improved in certain aspects in order to be able to meet the special requirements of this energy system. Some elements in EA legislation and practice pose certain problems in renewable energy diffusion. One field for further research would be the characterization of the role of environmental EA in renewable energy technology diffusion and its validation by qualitative means. Furthermore, in order to achieve the necessary changes of EA, it is important to enhance the understanding of the processes of change of this instrument. In particular, how cross-national policy learning and transfer of experiences impact the occurrence of such changes needs to be further studied.

Freight transport has emerged as one of the most critical and dynamic aspects of the transport sector where change has become the norm. It is now the main element supporting global commodity and more generally supply chains. Yet the lack of seamlessness and inefficiencies in general as well as the rising costs and complexities of shipping and delivering goods are adding to profit pressures faced by manufacturers across the globe. Our paper first discusses the concept of seamlessness, and then examines some of the consequences of the lack of seamlessness in terms of freight transport inefficiencies. We then begin to examine the new developments in which intermodality, technology (e-commerce), and logistics are changing and will have the impact of heightening competitive advantage and reducing constraint points in production value chains and global production networks. Finally the intent is to show how research on this theme might be advanced in a trans-Atlantic framework.

Due to the prevailing economic crisis, Argentina has been facing a growing number of informal workers, many of them urban recyclers. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated decline in formal employment, this number can be expected to rise even further. Increased recycling activity is, in principle, a positive development. However, the working conditions of urban recyclers often do not correspond to the ILO definition of “decent work”. It is therefore important to ask how the recycling system in Argentina can be shaped to be socially sustainable, as well as environmentally and economically sustainable. Based on qualitative stakeholder interviews, our research aimed to collect and synthesise the ideas and expectations of a diverse set of actors in the recycling sector of Buenos Aires City and selected municipalities of Buenos Aires Province. This enabled us to identify four key areas of dispute and potential action. First, work in urban recycling is a form of social safety net in Argentina, as in many countries with persistent poverty. This can lead to a trade-off between maintaining the social function of the sector and subjecting it to the kinds of efficiency requirements placed on other sectors. Given the inherent power asymmetries between large companies and individual urban recyclers, the latter may be crowded out once the sector becomes profitable. Second, it is important to avoid viewing urban recyclers as recipients of charity. By re-introducing materials into the resource cycle and reducing pressure on landfills, they create positive externalities and offer a valuable service to society. Paying urban recyclers for the service component of their work in addition to the value of the raw materials collected would constitute a significant step towards ensuring both decent incomes and broad social recognition of the workers’ value. Third, the knowledge and experience gathered by urban recyclers holds great potential for grassroots innovations, such as making productive use of materials that do not currently have a market. With the cooperation of other actors, such as universities, and the provision of resources and support via the removal of red tape, these innovators could more easily employ their ideas to the benefit of society. Fourth, as a cross-cutting issue, all solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of urban recycling for a transition of the waste sector towards economic, ecological and social sustainability require a careful navigation of the political economy dimension. Constellations of interests have led to incentives that are, in many cases, not conducive to economic efficiency and bind resources that could otherwise be used to improve recycling schemes. Reform of these incentives requires a careful analysis of power constellations and potential change coalitions. Discussion Paper

In conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath, Russian aggression on Ukraine has wide-ranging consequences for the EU, including high inflation, an immense energy cost increase, and a shortage of critical resources. All of these have pronounced effects on the sustainability and operations of research infrastructures (RIs), several of which face difficulties in providing continuous service. To address these topics, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has established a dedicated drafting group to look into the energy and supply challenges, also responding to a call by Competitiveness Council to do so. This report highlights the significant impact of the Russian aggression on Ukraine on the sustainability and operations of research infrastructures (RIs) in the EU. The energy crisis resulting from the Russian aggression poses a severe challenge to the RIs, predominantly analytical RIs, with energy-intensive RIs such as synchrotrons, computing centres, accelerator-driven particle sources, neutron facilities, research reactors, and lasers being the most affected. The shortage of critical resources and materials, such as some gases, rare isotopes, and permanent magnets, also presents a significant challenge to RIs, although they may not be a consequence of the war. The report presents recommendations to ESFRI, Member States, and the European Commission based on good practices from ESFRI member countries and the discussion within the drafting group to address these challenges and enhance the future resilience of RIs. The recommendations include allocating additional funds and energy price capping for the most energy-intensive RIs, developing response plans that include actions aimed at greening the operations of RIs, considering the needs of the RI communities in the activities linked to the Critical Raw Materials Regulation, and setting up specific measures to support the Ukrainian research community. The report emphasizes the importance of preparing for future crises, increasing the resilience and preparedness of European society to cope with any present and future crisis.

During the last decade, the concept of marginal land have received high attention both in research and policy formation. The Magic project aims to improve scientific evidence and create new knowledge based on the extensive experience of the project partners with the cultivation of industrial crops in land facing a range of biophysical marginality constraints across Europe. Within this research framework, the work presented in this report, analyses success stories of selected industrial crops in European regions addressing biophysical/ environmental, economic, and social issues. The methodological approach provides a conceptual link of Value Chain Analysis (VCA), and a two- dimensional perspective (value chain’s key attributes in the form of competitive priorities (CP) and their performance in the different development stages) to analyse a set of Good Practice cases that cultivate industrial crops in marginal land. The work presented here, uses a set of indicators, and evaluates the performance of the understudy Good Practice cases in the land use and biomass production stages. Following it discusses the relevance (in terms of creating competitive advantages once applied properly) of the under study competitive priorities across the development stages. Results from this analysis illustrate how the cultivation of industrial crops in land with low soil fertility, high salinity, sandy soils, unfavourable texture and stoniness, contamination, etc. can help overcome both the biophysical challenges but also the socio-economic ones with providing outlets to rural communities for supporting the provision of raw materials to the biobased sectors. The findings aim to inform on performance of industrial crops in land with biophysical marginality and facilitate the development of policy recommendations and Good Practice guidelines to promote the appropriate sourcing of renewable materials from marginal land at local/regional level.

The scope of this Deliverable is to: To provide substantive analysis, visualisation and communication tools tailored to each application area, in addition to the general database support with contextual information (TURAS City Viewer / webGIS). Integrate the partners’ expertise and existing technologies into the tools. Work in close collaboration with other project partners especially work package leaders on development of tools and respective applications. Provide a training workshop for all project partners on the common support database (webGIS) and tools. To assist local authorities in integration of the webGIS framework and tools with their existing ICT and planning infrastructure. To evaluate the usefulness of these tools for the local authorities. For additional information on this deliverable please email Zorica Nedović-Budić at znb.ucd@gmail.com. For additional information on the TURAS project see here, or email marcus.collier@tcd.ie. Suggested citation: Nedović-Budić, Z., Corcoran, A. and Collier, M.J. (2015) Framework for G-ICT infrastructure: integrated database and tools. Deliverable 1.2 of the TURAS FP7 Project. Available at: https://doi.org/5281/zenodo.3940925.