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As the concept for circular economy gains traction in the world and the EU pushes for the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy model, the role of waste-toenergy is crucial in a circular economy as it is the last chance to extract value out of material at the same time as providing an alternative energy source, henceforth bringing together a closed-loop system. A functioning circular economy will also have minimal waste generated which is sync with the idea of zero-waste. How all these aspects really work together is the focal point of this Master’s thesis where the aim is to see how the three factors of waste-to-energy, the circular economy and a zero-waste goal work together in accomplishing their respective objectives and to access their performance and potential in Finland using other Nordic countries as benchmarks. A qualitative research method of four semi-structured interviews with experts in Finland involved in various circular economy was supported by secondary sourced data on the other Nordic countries and if found that WtE has additional benefits to Nordics compared to other countries due to district heating utilization of excess steam that provides heat during the long winter months so henceforth offers higher energy efficiency. The state of the circular economy in Finland was harder to ascertain with the difficulty in showing concrete examples of a CE due to misunderstanding of the relatively new theoretical term and the many related terms. The overall conclusion for Finland was that a zero-waste goal was not the correct aim to have as this could still mean high incineration, instead Finland should look at the exemplarily example of Denmark which aims to be incineration free in the future. There would still be a role for WtE, only to a less extent, dealing with hazardous and residual waste. The role of recycling will grow in line with a true CE model which means that energy sourced from WtE will decline, As a result Finland should plan accordingly and invest less in WtE infrastructure and more in other alternative energy sources.

AbstractUrbanization displaces natural habitats with impervious surfaces and managed ornamental green infrastructure. This study compared the structure of lepidopteran community in an office campus cleared from forest to that in the remaining forest. For the comparison, we trapped 2,233 lepidopteran specimens of 56 species from an office campus and adjacent forest. The species richness of lepidopteran assemblage in the office campus was half of that in the forest and consisted primarily of the same species found in the forest. The abundance and biomass of Lepidoptera in the office campus was a quarter of that in the forest. The biomass and abundance of Lepidoptera decreased along with the impervious area within 100-meter radius around the traps and approached zero when impervious surfaces covered the area entirely. The specimens in the trapped lepidopteran assembly from the office campus were on average larger, indicating elevated mobility, than those caught from the forest. Our results support earlier studies concluding that fragmented urban landscape selects for large mobile species, which can feed on ornamental plants or can disperse between high-quality habitats within urban landscape. Green infrastructure with native plants, high-quality native habitats and their connectivity can maintain species-rich lepidopteran communities in urban landscapes.

Abstract Currently, geographic information system (GIS) models are popular for studying location-allocation-related questions concerning bioenergy plants. The aim of this study was to develop a model to investigate optimal locations for two different types of bioenergy plants, for farm and centralized biogas plants, and for wood terminals in rural areas based on minimizing transportation distances. The optimal locations of biogas plants were determined using location optimization tools in R software, and the optimal locations of wood terminals were determined using kernel density tools in ArcGIS. The present case study showed that the utilized GIS tools are useful for bioenergy-related decision-making to identify potential bioenergy areas and to optimize biomass transportation, and help to plan power plant sizing when candidate bioenergy plant locations have not been defined in advance. In the study area, it was possible to find logistically viable locations for 13 farm biogas plants (>100 kW) and for 8 centralized biogas plants (>300 kW) using a 10-km threshold for feedstock supply. In the case of wood terminals, the results identified the most intensive wood reserves near the highest road classes, and two potential locations were determined.

Global trends influence the approaches and mindset for using natural resources and technological capacities. Participatory scenario methods have proven useful in long-term foresight. However, country-level foresight studies often ignore the broader trends affecting international markets and setting frames for economic development. This study envisions which global trends could occur and how the resulting European policies might affect the Finnish forest sector’s development in 2040. We applied a Futures Wheel approach, where stakeholder groups consisting of policy-, economic- and social sustainability-, technology-, and climate sustainability -experts in the field of forestry and interlinking industries created three future scenarios in a workshop: (1) biodiversity and regulated economy, (2) circular economy, and (3) era of social connection. The scenarios assumed growing resource scarcity as a result of climate change, as well as over-consumption and increasing inequality problems globally. Thus, European-level policies focused on the circular economy and resource-use restrictions. Finnish industries should invest in wood-based side stream and waste utilization to increase added value and decrease virgin wood uses to succeed in these scenarios. However, this would require investments in non-wood energy sources to release these secondary wood flows from energy uses.

Abstract Even though air travel often provides the fastest transport option, it also has the highest climate impact. Especially on long-haul trips, an aircraft usually represents the only feasible option. Nevertheless, aircraft are more often used on short-haul routes as well. It is the short-haul flights that produce the highest emissions per passenger. These are also the ones that could be replaced the most easily by land-based transportation modes. This study investigates the greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential of replacing short-haul flights with train, coach and car travel within Finland while also taking into account real travel times from door to door. Our results showed that replacing short-haul flights could significantly reduce a country’s climate impact. Furthermore, we found that existing land-based transportation modes can keep up with the travel times of aircrafts on routes up to 400 km.

Abstract The transportation sector has become the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One solution to mitigate the impacts is a shift towards electric modes. Where previous studies have only focused on the replacement of individual modes, our study presents a more holistic approach by comparing land-based, water-based and airborne transportation modes. We study the GHG emission reduction potentials of electric cars, buses, trains, ferries and aircraft in comparison to existing modes on 34 routes within Finland and across the Baltic Sea to Sweden and Estonia. By comparing the GHG emissions in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-eq) per passenger kilometer for each mode, we also consider the emissions generated from battery production as well as the differences in the energy mix from electricity production of the three studied countries. In addition to CO2-eq emissions per passenger kilometer, we also take real door-to-door travel times into account. Our study found that electric transportation modes possess great potential for emissions reduction. Nevertheless, depending on the energy mix used for electricity production, the emissions of electric transportation modes can exceed those of existing modes significantly. In addition, the emissions generated by battery production can have a significant share of the total emissions and should therefore always be considered. Finally, while also taking into account the door-to-door travel times, our study identified the great potential of electric aircraft to provide a less carbon intensive transportation option paired with short travel times starting on routes beyond 300 km where no high-speed rail exists as well as on routes across the water.

AbstractScientists have warned decision‐makers about the severe consequences of the global environmental crisis since the 1970s. Yet ecological degradation continues and little has been done to address climate change. We investigated early‐career conservation researchers' (ECR) perspectives on, and prioritization of, actions furthering sustainability. We conducted a survey (n = 67) and an interactive workshop (n = 35) for ECR attendees of the 5th European Congress of Conservation Biology (2018). Building on these data and discussions, we identified ongoing and forthcoming advances in conservation science. These include increased transdisciplinarity, science communication, advocacy in conservation, and adoption of a transformation‐oriented social–ecological systems approach to research. The respondents and participants had diverse perspectives on how to achieve sustainability. Reformist actions were emphasized as paving the way for more radical changes in the economic system and societal values linked to the environment and inequality. Our findings suggest that achieving sustainability requires a strategy that (1) incorporates the multiplicity of people's views, (2) places a greater value on nature, and (3) encourages systemic transformation across political, social, educational, and economic realms on multiple levels. We introduce a framework for ECRs to inspire their research and practice within conservation science to achieve real change in protecting biological diversity.