Projects 1996 - 1998
Projects are listed by research area:
- Ecological Economics and Ethics
- Life Cycle and Systems Analysis
- Renewable Energy Sources
- Risk Research
- Sociology of the Environment
- Corporate Environmental Management
- Other Activities
Projects: Ecological Economics and Ethics
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Evolutionary Perspectives on Sustainable Development
Tim Jackson
- project is on-going -
Under the general theme of an EPSRC/Royal Academy of Engineering funded research fellowship, Tim Jackson is applying thermodynamic and biophysical approaches to sustainable development. Recent contribution to this work is focusing on the development of a broad conceptual framework for conceiving sustainable development. Within this framework, the roots of scientific knowledge are recognised as being important inputs to our understanding of what sustainable development means. A paper on this topic was presented at the recent Ecological Economics conference in Geneva.
Publications/Presentations
Jackson, T. (1998) The Unfinished Symphony - paper presented to the 2nd European Society for Ecological Economics, Geneva, March
Jackson, T. (1998) Conceiving Sustainable Development - an evolutionary perspective, (in press)
Jackson, T. and Stymne, S. (1996) Measuring Sustainable Economic Welfare in Sweden. A Pilot Index 1950-1992. Stockholm Environment Institute, 1996.
Jackson, T. and Marks, N. (1996) Consumption, Sustainable Welfare and Human Needs. Paper presented at ESEE Conference, Paris, May 1996.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Measuring Sustainable Economic Welfare
Tim Jackson, Susanna Stymne
- project is on-going -
This project is a long-term continuation of work carried out by Tim Jackson and collaborators over the last five years. Recent contributions to this project include the publication of the updated UK Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, a study on Consumption, Sustainable Welfare and Human Needs (forthcoming in Ecological Economics) and the work with Susanna Stymne on the role of capital in measuring sustainable welfare.
Publications/Presentations
Stymne, S. and Jackson, T. (1998) Intra-generational Equity and Sustainable Welfare - a time series analysis for the UK and Sweden. Paper presented at ESEE Conference, Geneva, March 1998.
Jackson, T., Marks, N., Ralls, J. and Stymne, S. (1997) An Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare for the UK 1950-1996. Centre for Environmental Strategy/New Economics Foundation, London.
Jackson, T. and Stymne, S. (1996) Measuring Sustainable Economic Welfare in Sweden. A Pilot Index 1950-1992. Stockholm Environment Institute, 1996.
Jackson, T. and Marks, N. (1996) Consumption, Sustainable Welfare and Human Needs. Paper presented at ESEE Conference, Paris, May 1996.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Accounting and Accreditation of Activities Implemented Jointly under the UN FCCC and the Oslo Protocol
Tim Jackson , Katie Begg, Stuart Parkinson
- project is completed -
See JI/CDM page
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Discourse-ethical approach to Environmental Responsibility
Slobodan Perdan
- project is completed -
This PhD project examines what the concept of environmental responsibility means and how could an environmental responsibility be articulated, defined, constituted, and allocated. The objective of the PhD project is to show that the problem of environmental responsibility can be dealt with satisfactorily within the conceptual framework of discourse ethics. It is argued that discourse ethics may provide a rational foundation for an ethics of environmental co-responsibility which is seen as the primary task for a philosophical moral theory that attempts to deal with normative implications of the relationship between human beings and their environment. An attempt is made to show that discourse-ethical conception of co-responsibility provides an appropriate normative structure for resolving the full range of ethical and moral questions raised by environmental issues.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Developing a Multimedia Learning Package for Environmental Ethics
Slobodan Perdan, Suzy Hodgson
- project is on-going -
The general aim of the project is to develop a new approach to teaching environmental ethics in order to sensitise engineering students to the ethical issues involved in their professional decision making, and to provide them with conceptual frameworks for thinking about these problems in a clear and responsible manner. The specific aim is to develop and test a multi-media learning package to assist in teaching environmental ethics to engineering students. By providing a structured and convenient access to the variety of media (e.g. text, images, audio, video, and animation) containing information on the subject of environmental ethics, it is expected that the multi-media learning package will offer a pedagogical improvement on traditional teaching methods.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
The Role of Capital in Measuring Sustainable Welfare
Susanna Stymne, Tim Jackson
- project is on-going -
This project is partly funded by the European Commission's DGXII Marie Curie Research Programme (Environment and Climate) and examines the role of capital in measuring sustainable welfare. It is increasingly recognised that existing measures of economic performance (such as the Gross National Product) do not adequately reflect the welfare of a nation. As a result there is growing interest in the development of extended accounting for social and environmental variables. The project examines the theoretical relationships between welfare, sustainability and different capital concepts (human, natural and human-made capital) and tests these relationships empirically using data from Sweden and the UK. The project also examines the importance of intra-generational equity in delivering sustainable welfare.
Publications/Presentations
Jackson, T., Marks, N., Ralls, J. and Stymne, S. (1997) An Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare for the UK, 1950-1996. Centre for Environmental Strategy/New Economics Foundation, London.
Jackson, T., Marks, N., Ralls, J. and Stymne, S. (1997) An Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare for the UK, 1950-1996. Centre for Environmental Strategy/New Economics Foundation, London.
Jackson, T. and Stymne, S. (1996) Measuring Sustainable Economic Welfare in Sweden. A Pilot Index 1950-1992. Stockholm Environment Institute, 1996.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Ecological Economics and Ethics>Projects
Intra-Generational Equity and Sustainable Welfare
Susanna Stymne, Tim Jackson
- project is on-going -
This project is funded by the European Commission’s DGXII Marie Curie Research Training Programme (Environment and Climate). The overall objective of the project is to analyse the role of intra-generational equity in measuring sustainable welfare. The project examines some of the complex inter-relationships that exist between intra-generational equity and sustainable welfare. The project also examines and applies a number of methodologies for measuring distributional impacts in the economy, highlighting in particular an index for measuring the welfare impacts of income inequality developed by Atkinson (1970).
Projects: Life Cycle and Systems Analysis
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Company Environmental Performance and Supply Chain Analysis
Roland Clift
- project is completed -
The impact assessment methodology used in LCA attempts to estimate the environmental impacts of emissions without specifying their geographical location. It therefore also serves to describe the global operations of a multi-national company, and has been developed into the "Environmental Burden" approach now used by ICI to set targets for environmental performance and to report actual performance. This kind of approach is being developed for more general applications, and to analyse the relationship between environmental impact and economic value along supply chains to explore possible "drivers" for industrial ecology.
Publications/Presentations
Wright, M., Allen, D., Clift, R. and Sas, H. (1997) "Measuring Corporate Environmental Performance: The ICI Environmental Burden System". Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol.1, No.4, pp.117-127.
Clift, R. (1998) "Relationships between Environmental Impact and Added Value along the Supply Chain." Invited Lecture, 2nd International Conference on Technology Policy and Innovation Lisbon, 3-5 August.
Jackson, T. and Clift, R. (1998) "Where's the Profit in Industrial Ecology", Journal of Industrial Ecology (in press).
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
A Life Cycle and Linear Programming Analysis of Food Production and Distribution
Roland Clift, Sarah Cowell
- project is completed -
This project was funded by the ESRC's Global Environmental Change Programme and the EPSRC (Ref: L320253122), and was carried out jointly by CES and Silsoe Research Institute. Its objectives were to develop LCA methodology for use in the context of food production and distribution, and develop a linear programming model of the agricultural/food production system. The project demonstrated that linear programming can be used to show what changes to agricultural systems are needed to reach a specific objective and to assess the effects of different requirements placed on the food system. It also showed the dependence of LCA results on such aspects as definition of the unit of analysis and system boundaries, specific data inputs and assessment of the comprehensive environmental impacts of food production.
Publications/Presentations
Cowell S.J. and Clift R. (1996) "Farming for the Future - An Environmental Perspective." Proceedings of Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference, Chester, 12-14 June 1996.
Cowell S.J. and Clift, R. (1997) "Impact Assessment for LCAs Involving Agricultural Production." International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2(2): 99-103.
Cowell S.J. et al. (1996) "Harmonisation of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Agriculture: A Case Study of Wheat Production." Presentation Summaries. 4th Symposium for Case Studies, Brussels, 3 December 1996.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Harmonisation of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Agriculture
Roland Clift, Sarah Cowell
- project is completed -
This EU Concerted Action project involved LCA researchers from nine institutes throughout Europe. Its purpose was to investigate how LCA may be applied to agricultural production, to identify methodological difficulties requiring further research, and to harmonise the different approaches. The project focused on carrying out an LCA of breadmaking wheat production from three different farming systems (intensive, integrated and organic), and comparing methodologies and results between the different groups. A seminar was held in June 1996 to discuss the project, and a final report was produced in 1997 for dissemination to a wide audience of researchers and practitioners.
Publications/Presentations
Audsley A., Alber S., Clift R., Cowell S., Crettaz P., Gaillard G., Hausheer J., Jolliet O., Kleijn R., Mortensen B., Pearce D., Roger E., Teulon H., Weidema B. and van Zeijts H. (1997) "Harmonisation of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Agriculture." Final Report for Concerted Action AIR3-CT94-2028. Silsoe Research Institute, Silsoe, Bedford.
Cowell, S.J. et al. (1996) "Harmonisation of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Agriculture: A Case Study of Wheat Production." Presentation Summaries. 4th Symposium for Case Studies, Brussels, 3 December.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
LCANET-Food
Sarah Cowell
- project is on-going -
This EU Concerted Action project began in November 1997. Its objectives are, i) to build a European network for LCA practitioners within the food chain, ii) to evaluate and report on the state-of-the-art of LCA methodology as applied to the food chain, iii) to develop a strategic LCA research programme, and iv) to initiate and promote the formation of a pan-European database for LCA within the food chain. It involves thirty-two organisations, and is coordinated by SIK in Göteborg, Sweden. Sarah Cowell is on the Board for the project with responsibility for coordinating the Agriculture theme.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
LCA and Decision-Making
Sarah Cowell
- project is on-going -
The SETAC-Europe Working Group on LCA and Decision-Making is being chaired by Sarah Cowell. It was set up in 1998, and will continue to meet over the next three years. Its main aim is to investigate current usage of LCA in decision-making and to compare it with other environmental decision-support methods. Based on this investigation, the group plans to develop recommendations for improvement of LCA-based decision-making.
Publications/presentations include:
Cowell, S.J. (1998) "Revised Summary of Meeting 2 of SETAC Working Group on LCA and Decision-Making." Unpublished report. CES, Guildford.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Material Chain Management (CHAINET)
Sarah Cowell, Roland Clift, Tom Ransome
- project is on-going -
CHAINET is an EU-supported Concerted Action in the Environment and Climate programme. Similar to its predecessor LCANET, it is a European network which will examine the use of LCA along with other tools in managing material supply chains. The project commenced in December 1997 and will run for 2 years. The tasks of this Concerted Action are to set up a network linking environmental problem owners in three sectors with experts on different environmental analytical tools and interactively to write a guidebook. The guidebook will provide a toolbox for chain analysis, linking demand for environmental information with supply of relevant information; as well as application of the toolbox in three different cases, indicating specific directions for design and development. The cases have been selected as useful vehicles for discussions on how tools can be applied in order to obtain information on net environmental improvements over the whole chain of supply, use and waste management:
The Surrey Team has lead responsibility for the last of these.
- automobiles,
- consumer electronic goods,
- domestic clothes washing.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
A Life Cycle Study of Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste
Sarah Cowell, Roland Clift, Suzy Hodgson
- project completed -
This study was undertaken with Thames Waste Management. The aim was to gain insights into the environmental implications of Thames Waste Management's anaerobic co-digestion of municipal solid waste and sewage sludge pilot system, using the life cycle approach developed by CES for the Environment Agency. For Impact Assessment, the results were interpreted using both the Problem-Oriented approach and the Indicator approach, the latter designed for a non-specialist audience to show the overall environmental impacts of the system under analysis. A comparison with incineration of the same waste showed that each waste management approach performs better in some environmental impact categories than the other.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Integrating Environmental Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Management of Waste Technologies at a Local Level
Sarah Cowell, Ragnar Löfstedt, Philip Sinclair
This project is being sponsored by EPSRC, the Energy from Waste Foundation and Energy Power Resources Ltd. The project commenced in the autumn of 1998 and its purpose is to develop more generally acceptable solutions to the problems of waste disposal, with a particular focus on the problems of the waste to energy industry. The scientific, commercial, communication and social contexts are being investigated. Current practice in risk assessment and management and the use of LCA are being assessed with a view to developing more integrated solutions. The project runs until 2001 and its results are being evaluated against industrial experience.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Dynamic Modelling of Material Cascades
Tim Jackson, Stuart Parkinson, Jake McLaren
- project is completed -
This project investigates extending the system modelling methodology used in Life Cycle Assessment, to account for multi-life recycling systems or material 'cascades'. Material cascades display characteristics such as time delays in material 'stocks and flows', changes in technology efficiency over time, and variations in material quality between successive lives. Non-linear system functions may also occur with respect to time or recycling rate, due to either process technology, transport systems and/or resource extraction. The modelling methodology developed accounts for these dynamic and potentially non-linear system functions in contrast to current LCA methodology which uses largely static, linear models. Case studies undertaken as components of this project concern the UK paper and steel cycles and recycling of mobile telephones. The methodology developed is of benefit in informing environmental policy discussion concerning materials management, and the evaluation of the appropriate waste management hierarchies.
Publications/Presentations
Jackson T., McLaren J. and Parkinson S. (Forthcoming) Modelling Material Cascades, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, UK.
McLaren J., Jackson T. and Parkinson S. (1998) "Accounting for dynamic non-linear system characteristics in environmental LCA of recycling systems", 8th SETAC Annual Meeting, Bordeaux 15-17 April
McLaren J., Wright ., Parkinson S. and Jackson T. (1999) "Dynamic Life Cycle Modelling of Mobile Phone Takeback and Recycling". Journal of Industrial Ecology, vol 3 no. 1, p77-91
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Self-Chilling Drinks
Gareth Rice, Roland Clift, Graham Robertson
- project is on-going -
The Jacob Company and BOC Ltd together have developed a type of can which chills the contents when the can is opened. The coolant is carbon dioxide, recovered as a waste from operations such as chemical plants and breweries. A full LCA of this new device has been carried out in CES, to enable its environmental performance to be compared against other "modes of delivery", primarily chilled dispensers. The results show that, even at this early stage of its development, the self-chilling can is comparable with chilled dispensers, and has been used to show where further developments are needed to reduce environmental impacts further and where the self-chilling can should be marketed actively on grounds of environmental performance.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Application of LCA to Waste Management
Graham Robertson, Roland Clift
- project is on-going -
This project, sponsored by the UK Environment Agency, represents part of an overall programme on the application of LCA to waste management initiated by the (then) Department of the Environment in 1994. CES was involved in an earlier phase, to define the basic methodology for applying LCA to Waste Management. In the present study, approaches to Environmental Impact Assessment are being reviewed and evaluated, in collaboration with the Centre of Environmental Science (CML) at the University of Leiden and with ERM Limited. The work represents part of the development of a National Waste Strategy.
Publications/Presentations
Department of the Environment and Environment Agency (1997) "Developing Life Cycle Inventories for Waste Management", Report No.CWM 128A/97 (2 volumes).
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
LCA of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Bente Solbert-Johansen, Roland Clift
- project is completed -
This project, sponsored by BNFL Limited, has been examining the whole nuclear fuel cycle to estimate the full environmental implications of nuclear fuel reprocessing. LCA has, until now, not found a way to incorporate the effects of radioisotope emissions on human populations and on non-human biota. Therefore a large part of this project has been concerned with developing a methodology for incorporating the human and ecotoxic effects of radioisotope emissions into the LCA framework, which in turn requires elements of Risk Assessment to be brought into LCA. Combining this development in impact assessment with a process model of the nuclear fuel cycle leads to identification of how fuel reprocessing affects the impacts of nuclear power generation, and identifies the "hot-spots" in the system where attention should be directed at improving environmental performance.
Publications/Presentations
Solberg-Johansen B. (1998), Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, UK.
Solberg-Johansen B., Clift R., and Jeaps A. (1997), "Irradiating the Environment - Radiological impacts in Life Cycle Assessment", International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2, No.1, pp. 16-19
Solberg-Johansen B., Clift R. and Jeapes A. (1998), "Radiological Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment", 8th SETAC Annual Meeting, Bordeaux 15-17 April
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Integrated Chain Management of Polymer Materials
Elizabeth Williams, Warren Mellor, Roland Clift, Adisa Azapagic (Department of Chemical and Process Engineering) and Gary Stevens (Polymer Research Centre)
- project is on-going -
This is a major LINK project which started late in 1997, with financial support from EPSRC and DTI and involving a consortium of participating companies: BICC Cables Ltd., Biffa Waste Services Ltd., European Vinyls Corporation (UK) Ltd., Mann (UK) Ltd., Pilkington PLC and Xerox Ltd. The objective is to develop Life Cycle Product Design methods as part of an integrated chain management approach to polymer materials selection and design. A "whole system modelling" approach is being developed, as a basis for selecting materials and processing methods which minimise environmental impact and maximise the potential for material recovery, re-use and recycling while meeting functional and economic requirements.
Publications/Presentations
Azapagic, A. (1998) “Design for Optimum Use of Resources - Cascaded Use of materials”, Keynote Lecture, 2nd International Conference on Technology Policy and Innovation, Lisbon, 3-5 August 1998.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Development of an Environmental Policy and Strategy for the University of Surrey
Andy Davey, Roland Clift, Suzy Hodgson
- project is completed -
This is an Engineering Doctorate Project sponsored by ClifMar Associates Ltd, a University of Surrey based company operating in the research and development fields of molecular purification and environmental monitoring. The project has specific aims to develop an Environmental Policy for the University of Surrey, and has involved a parallel case study to develop an Environmental Purchasing Policy for Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd. The research involves investigating appropriate management techniques and developing a new methodology to improve the efficacy of environmental policies and the process of managing environmental impacts.
Publications/Presentations
Davey A.P. (1995) "University of Surrey - too far up the wrong road?"¸ paper presented at the EngD in Environmental Technology Annual Conference 1995, Brunel University.
Davey A.P. (1996) "The Intimations of the Drivers of Change", poster displayed and paper submitted to the EngD in Environmental Technology Annual Conference 1996, University of Surrey.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Life Cycle and Systems Analysis>Projects
Projects: Renewable Energy Sources
The Viability of Renewable Energy
Tim Jackson, Mark Oliver
- project is on-going -
Renewable energy technologies are generally seen as environmentally-friendly forms of energy supply, although they often incur a higher cost than conventional technologies. Attempts to reduce these costs have motivated continual technological development leading to substantial efficiency improvements. As a result, the costs of energy from renewables have fallen dramatically in the last decade and will continue to fall for many technologies. At the same time, these technological developments have also improved the environmental performance of renewables, for instance, by reducing the material requirements per unit of energy output. This project - funded by the EPSRC - has examined the complex question of the viability of renewable energy using a range of technological and economic assessment methodologies.
Publications/Presentations
Jackson, T. (1997) Power in Balance - energy challenges for the 21st Century, Friends of the Earth, London
Oliver M. (1996) "The Viability of Renewable energy with Specific Reference to Solar Photovoltaics", poster presentation at EPSRC Clean Technology Programme Summer School, Cardiff, July.
Oliver M. and Jackson T. (1997) "The viability of building integrated photovoltaic systems", poster presentation at Future Directions in Photovoltaics - One day international symposium, Imperial College, London, July.
Oliver, M and Jackson, T. (1998). The Double Dividend of Future Developments in Photovoltaics. Poster paper presented at the 2nd World Conference and Exhibition on Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion, Vienna, Austria. July.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Renewable Energy Sources>Projects
Feasibility study of biomass to electricity demonstration plant in Valdecaballeros
Raquel Bello-Morales, Ragnar Löfstedt
- project is on-going -
This project, funded by the European Union (Joule Programme) examines farmers’ perceptions to biomass for energy in southwestern Spain. It addresses two particular areas:
a) are the farmers in this region interested in shifting crop production from traditional crops to biomass-to-energy ones?
b) how do the farmers perceive the local environment? Do they believe that a biomass-to-energy plant will help the local environment?
These questions will help aid Endesa (a Spanish utility company) to come to a conclusion whether to build a small biomass-to-energy plant in the region.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Renewable Energy Sources>Projects
Energy Options for Rural Villages: A Sustainable Approach
Tim Jackson, Yacob Mulugetta
- project is on-going -
This project, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) combines the analytical approach of the Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, with the practical experience of Intermediate Technology, to produce a guidance manual for decision makers in the rural energy sector of developing countries.
The main requirement of the project is to look at the process of supplying rural energy needs: decision making, strategies and policies for rural energy supply. When decision makers, in local or national govenments, multi-lateral organisations, donor agencies or NGOs, develop policies and strategies for improving access to energy supplies in rural areas, there are a number of criteria which have to be considered, such as:
It is widely recognised that, for energy strategies to be sustainable, an approach is required which will combine all of these complex and interlinked aspects. During this project, each of these themes will be addressed using a similar approach: first to identify what are the key question to be asked when developing an energy strategy (qualitative assesssment); next, to present analytical methods for informing the decision making process (quantitative analysis); and finally, case examples will be used to illustrate the various decision-making processes and the application of the analytical methods.
- availability of energy resources
- national and local economic conditions
- financing options and markets
- local and global environmental impacts
- associated development strategies, for example employment, small enterprise develoment or social services
- technical capabilities and human resources
- institutional capacity
A number of analytical methods have emerged for assessing and comparing energy options, in terms of technical choice, environmental impact, economic evaluation and community participation. Methods to be selected and developed will include:
- Economic analysis of economic policies and market practices (including subsidies or grants)
- Full fuel cycle assessment of environmental impact and natural resource consumption
- Participative planning requirements in energy project development
- Assessment of local technical capacity building needs
- Policy analysis and multi-criteria decision making
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Renewable Energy Sources>Projects
Renewable Energy Study
Tim Jackson, Ragnar Löfstedt
- project is completed -
This project, funded by the Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution, examined the role of renewable energy sources and the scope for their development within the UK energy system over the period between now and the middle of the next century. The ground covered by the report includes the physical basis for renewable energy, technological characteristics of conversion devices, experience in operating these technologies, the economic and commercial status of renewables and the social and policy implications of the new technologies in the context of a liberalised energy market.
Publications
Jackson, T. and Löfstedt, R.E. (1998) Renewable energy sources. Report to RCEP.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Renewable Energy Sources>Projects
Social dimensions of renewable energy sources
Ragnar Löfstedt, Katarina Jorgensen
- project is completed -
Ragnar Löfstedt's PhD was on energy policy, and since writing his thesis he has maintained a keen interest in understanding the public acceptability of various renewable energy sources. At the moment he is involved with two EU funded research projects looking at the social and environmental costs of biomass production.
Publications/Presentations
Collier U. and Löfstedt R.E. (1997) "Think globally act locally? Local climate change and energy policies in Sweden and the UK". Global Environmental Change, Vol. 7, n. 1, p.25-40.
Jörgensen, K., Azapagic, A., Clift, R., Ericson, S-O. and Löfstedt, R.E. (1997) "Life Cycle Assessment of a circulating fluidised bed combustion process utilising forest residues as a fuel", The IChemE 1997 Jubilee Research Event, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 April
Löfstedt R.E. (1996) "The use of biomass energy in a regional context: the case of Växjö, Sweden", Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol.11, n.1, p.33-42.
Löfstedt R.E. (1997) "Sweden's future energy policy". Energy Policy, Vol 25, n.4, p.383-386.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Renewable Energy Sources>Projects
Projects: Risk Research
The social dynamics of environmental risk perception
Tom Horlick-Jones, Jonathan Sime
- project is completed -
This project (known by the acronym PRISP) is a comparative study funded by the European Union 4th Framework Programme involving CES, the Institute for International Sociology in Gorizia (Italy), CIEMAT in Madrid and University of Wales at Bangor, UK. Tom Horlick-Jones of CES is the Scientific Coordinator of the project.
The research has investigated public perception of risks associated with industrial sites in the UK, Italy and Spain. The project has utilised a mixed-method approach (comprising community ethnography, semi-structured interviews, questionnaire survey and focus groups), within a Grounded Theory framework, to examine the social dynamics of risk comprehension, tolerability and politics in settings adjacent to a range of industrial facilities. These often complex industrial zones present a portfolio of "acute" and "chronic" risks including hazards associated with sites regulated by the European Union COMAH Directive.
It is anticipated that the project findings will have important implications for the regulation of both major accident hazard and pollution risks, risk communication programmes, industrial risk management practices and for the methodological basis of health & safety and environmental valuation techniques.
Publications/Presentations
Horlick-Jones, T. (1998) "Social theory and the politics of risk" Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 6 1 pp.64-67.
Horlick-Jones, T. (1998) "Science: the language of the powerful?" Journal of Risk Research, Vol.1, No.4, pp.321-325.
Horlick-Jones, T., Pidgeon, N., De Marchi, B. and Prades Lopez, A. (1996) "Recent developments in major accident regulation in the European Union" in Proceedings of the 1996 Society for Risk Analysis(Europe) Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
Understanding and providing support for organisational risk management
Tom Horlick-Jones, Ragnar Löfstedt
- project is on-going -
This project is known by the acronym, PRISM. It is being funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of its Risk and Human Behaviour Programme. It involves a collaboration between the University of Surrey and London School of Economics, under the Direction of Tom Horlick-Jones.
The project is designed to achieve a better understanding of the role of risk in organisational decision-making, and to find ways of managing such risks more effectively. Ethnographic investigations in cooperating organisations are being conducted, and insights gained from this work are being used to target interventions in identified problem areas utilising Problem Structuring Methods (PSMs).
PSMs are a family of participative model-based decision support tools which assist groups to agree on the nature and boundaries of the problem which they need to tackle, and to secure shared commitment to action. They are particularly useful when there is considerable uncertainty, complexity and diversity of interests. These methods are used in workshop formats and, in most cases, employ software support. They have an established track record in business and government, where they have been successfully used in a number of areas.
Our main focus of interest is risk management situations in which people with distinctively different perspectives or priorities are involved in the decision-making process. Current collaborating organisations are the Metropolitan Police (in the context of their involvement with the Notting Hill Carnival) and the UK Post Office.
Publications/presentations:
Horlick-Jones, T. (1998) "Meaning and contextualisation in risk assessment" Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 59 pp.79-89.
Horlick-Jones, T. and Rosenhead, J. (1996) "Developing methods to enhance the organisational management of ambiguous risks" Proceedings of the 1996 Society for Risk Analysis (Europe) Conference , University of Surrey.
Horlick-Jones, T., Rosenhead, J., Ravetz, J., Löfstedt, R. and Georgiou, I. (1997) "A rich picture of risk: The case of the Notting Hill Carnival" Paper delivered to the 1997 ESRC Risk and Human Behaviour Conference, University of York.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
Transboundary Environmental Risk Management
Ragnar Löfstedt
- project is on-going -
Over the past five years Ragnar Löfstedt has, together with Gunnar Sjöstedt of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm and Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer of IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria, led an international research effort on understanding public and policy makers' perceptions toward transboundary environmental risks. The main aim of this research, funded by the Swedish Council for the Planning and Coordination of Research, is two-fold: examine the factor why the public in neighbouring nations have in many cases completely different attitudes toward the same risk (e.g. nuclear power) and secondly to uncover the reasons why western environmental aid programmes toward Eastern Europe have been seen as misdirected by East European policy makers.
Publications/Presentations
Löfstedt R.E. (1998) Transboundary environmental problems: The case of the burning of coal in Poland for heating and electricity purposes. Global Environmental Change 8, No.4: 329-340.
Löfstedt R.E., Sepp K. and Kelly L. (1996) “Partnerships to reduce greenhouse emissions in the Baltic”. Environment, Vol. 38 n.6, p.16-20, 40-42.
Löfstedt R.E. and Sjöstedt G. (1995) “Environmental aid to Eastern Europe: problems and possible solutions”. Ambio Vol 24, n.6 p.366-370.
Löfstedt R.E. and Sjöstedt G. (1996) eds. Environmental Aid Programmes to Eastern Europe: Area Studies and Theoretical Applications. Aldershot: Avebury.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
Trust
Ragnar Löfstedt
- project is on-going -
Over the last three years Ragnar Löfstedt has been conducting research on the influence of trust/distrust on the public perception of risk. The research has three separate strands:
In addition since 1995 Ragnar has, together with George Cvetkovich and Tim Earle at Western Washington University, organised a series of workshops on social trust.
- the importance of trust in understanding risk communication controversies;
- the role of trust in understanding the successes and failures of citizen panels;
- the influences of public trust upon the making of environmental regulation.
Publications
Löfstedt R.E. (1997) "Evaluation of two siting strategies: The case of two UK waste tire incinerators". Risk Health Safety and Environment, Vol 8, n.1, p.63-77.
Löfstedt R.E. and Renn O. (1997) "The Brent Spar Controversy: An example of risk Communication gone wrong". Risk Analysis, Vol 17, n.2, p.131-136.
Löfstedt R.E. (1996) "Risk Communication: The Barsebäck nuclear plant case". Energy Policy, Vol 24, n.8, p.689-696.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
The evaluation of the Hallandsås environmental scandal
Ragnar Löfstedt
- project completed -
Since 1991 the Swedish government via its Railway Administration have tried with several entrepreneurs to build two high speed 8.5 km long tunnels through the Hallndsås horst. To date their efforts have been unsuccessful due to large amounts of water leaking into the tunnel. In 1997 one of the enterpreneurs, Skanska, decided to use the chemical sealant Rhoca-Gil to halt the water flow going into it. However, the water pressure was so high that the sealant leaked into the groundwater causing widespread contamination leading to fish deaths, poisoning of cows and considerable worry among the residents living close by. This project, funded by the Swedish Council for the Planning and Coordination of Research and the Swedish Transport and Communciations Board, was based on a content analysis of all the local papers in the affected region as well as a random telephone survey of 100 citizens in the local community.
Publications include:
Boholm A., Lofstedt R.E and Strandberg U. 1998. Tunnelbygget genom Hallandsås: Lokalsamhallets dilemman. CEFOS, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
The impact of social amplification of risk on risk communication (Surrey)
Ragnar Lofstedt (coordinated by Glynis Breakwell, Psychology, with Julie Barnett, Psychology; Ray Kemp, Psychology)
The objectives of this study, funded by the Health and Safety Executive, is to identify factors most likely to lead to amplification or attenuation of perceptions of risks to health and safety, to include the influence of UK media institutions and to draw out lessons for best practice in risk communciation.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
Towards a Non-Reductionist Risk Analysis
Tom Horlick-Jones
This research will form an integral part of the overall objective of the ESRC Risk and Human Behaviour initiative, namely to produce a broad conceptual and investigative framework for risk research. Its specific contribution draws upon theoretical insights which recognise the hybrid nature of risk, and which transcend interpretations that reduce risk to either a purely artefact-based entity or to a simple social construction. Moreover, it embraces the need to address both the complexity and moral/political difficulties in risk management by means of contextualising expert knowledge and extending the range of knowledges that are recognised as constituting expertise.
In order to make some progress towards this objective, empirical work will be carried out to explore the generation, discursive role, and utilisation, of social science knowledge on risk in a range of risk assessment and risk management settings. This work will include the preparation of an inventory of social science knowledge about risk, and ethnographic investigations of the production and application of risk knowledge. The possibilities of institutional reform and change, together with their implications, will be assessed and recommendations will be made.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Risk Research>Projects
Projects: Sociology of the Environment
Personal Narratives of Women in the Environmental Movement
Kate Burningham, Clare Twigger-Ross (Dept. of Psychology/Env.Agency)
- project is on-going -
This project is funded by a small grant from the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey and involves carrying out in-depth interviews with women involved in a variety of environmental groups and types of action. We are interested in accounts of participation because there is little existing research on the meaning of environmental activism for those involved, and are focusing on women as research suggests that gender may be an important variable in determining the focus of concern and action.
Publications/Presentations
Burningham K. and Twigger-Ross C. (1998) "Personal Narratives of Women in the Environmental Movement", presented at the British Sociological Association Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh, April 1998.
Burningham K. (1998) "Women's Participation in Environmental Action", being presented at the International Sociological Association World Congress of Sociology, Montreal, July 1998.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Sociology of the Environment>Projects
Authorisation Procedure and Impact Assessment for Installations with Major Environmental Risks
Simon Dresner, Roland Clift plus Adisa Azapagic (Department of Chemical and Process Engineering) and Nigel Gilbert (Department of Sociology)
- project is completed -
This European Framework IV project is addressing how hazards resulting from air and water pollution can best be estimated and represented in the authorisation procedures for installations with major environmental risks. The project is co-ordinated by Ecole des Mines de Paris (F) and involves Roskilde University (DK), Université Libre de Bruxelles (B), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (E). Each participant has selected a proposed facility as the basis for study and comparison. The principal Surrey contribution lies in designing and analysing interviews conducted to establish the effectiveness of different procedures in achieving acceptance of the outcome of authorisation processes.
Publications include:
Dresner, Simon and Nigel Gilbert (1999) 'Decision-making Processes for Projects Requiring EIA: Case Studies in Six European Countries', Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, Vol.1, No.1 (March 1999),
105-130.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Sociology of the Environment>Projects
The Social Impacts of Auto-Centred Transport Systems
George Martin
- project is completed -
During the academic year 1997-98 Professor George Martin spent his sabbatical (from Montclair State University in New Jersey, US) as a Kirby Laing Lecturer at CES. George is an environmental sociologist and during the year has been developing his research on the socio-environmental impacts of various transport systems. During the year he published scholarly articles in British journals on the domination of transport policy by the automobile, and on the ideology of auto safety. Additionally, he has begun collecting data that will be the basis for a planned comparative US-UK study. At this point, the planned study has two foci -comparisons of transport systems and their environmental impacts and comparisons of the new transport-related environmental movements, in the two nations
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Environmental Management>Projects
Projects: Corporate Environmental Management
Sustainability of the Primary Extraction Industries
Peter Argust, Sarah Cowell, Graham Robertson, Lucy Speirs, Walter Wehrmeyer
This group began regular meetings in 1998 to discuss the challenges posed by the sustainability agenda for the primary extraction industries. These include questions about sustainability at different geographical and organisational scales, differences between sustainability and sustainable development, and the feasibility of supply chain management for these industries.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Development of a Clinical Waste Management Strategy for Scotland
Wendy Rayner
This project focuses on the use of environmental management tools in decision making. Her work concentrates on the Clinical Waste industry and looks at the issues surrounding choice of alternative technologies and the provision of Clinical Waste services. She will look at the way decisions are made and, in particular, how Life Cycle Assessment studies can contribute to the decision making process. The project is funded by the Environment Agency and by Landfill Tax Money through the Biffaward Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Training and Competence of Local Authority Officers on Contaminated Land and Brownfield regeneration
Walter Wehrmeyer
Depending on the definition of contamination, between 40,000 and 250,000 sites in the UK can be classified as contaminated or derelict. Local Authorities (LAs) are probably the single most important agent in the site recycling process and their understanding and appreciation of the technical and social dimensions are critical. Therefore, the project was initiated to:
- Identify self-perception on how well risk from Contaminated Land is understood and communicated;
- Briefly identify how large the remediation programme is and what the Contaminated Land is being used for;
- Understand what type of information Local Authority staff would like to see and in which form.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Banks and Contaminated Land
Walter Wehrmeyer
Banks and Building Societies are significant stakeholders in the Land Remediation process. They are, as legal owners of mortgaged properties, liable for cleanup or risk emanating from contaminated sites, especially if the mortgagee defaults. As a result, banks are exposed to financial risk by lending on Brownfield sites. Following initial exploration, it was decided to conduct a global survey in this field. Liaison with UNEP's Financial Services Initiative showed interest in a joint survey to address these agreed and as yet broad research questions:
- Do banks understand (feel they understand) the impact the Environment has on their organisations and their products?
- How do banks evaluate risk from Contaminated Land, and what proportion of total lending collateral is brownfield?
- How has the environmental debate affected lending decisions? Are screening procedures in place and how successful are they perceived to be?
- What is the bank’s perception on the trade-off between financial and environmental risk?
- How has management practice changed as a response to Sustainable Development? Are policies and management systems in place to internally reduce environmental effects and how effective are they perceived to be?
- Are banks aware of global initiatives towards Sustainable Development, such as UNEP’s Statement by Financial Institutions on the Environment and Sustainable Development?
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Neighbours of Derelict Sites Survey
Walter Wehrmeyer
The planning process requires statutory consultation of relevant parties for changes of land use or new developments, mainly in the form of public consultation during the Local Plan development and when a planning application has been received. This project aims to understand how this consultation is being received by neighbours of derelict sites, with a particular focus on consultation regarding the avoidance of nuisance during the remediation and construction phase. To do this, a number of case studies have been developed that pair projects of extensive and of minimal consultation in a number of UK cities.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Environmental Best Practice in Peru’s Mineral and Oil Industry
Walter Wehrmeyer, Yacob Mulugetta and Marcus Wagner
This project is a repeat of a 1996 survey. It has these objectives:
- To assess current levels of environmental awareness;
- To identify Member perspectives towards environmental matters;
- To identify current best practice of Environmental Management.
Intro to CES>Current Research Areas>Corporate Enviromental Management>Projects
Measuring Environmental Performance of Industry (MEPI)
Walter Wehrmeyer, Marcus Wagner
MEPI is a collaborative project with partners from Austria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, funded under the Environment and Climate Programme of the Fourth Framework Programme of the European Commission, and will run until May 2000. The principal objectives of MEPI are to develop quantitative indicators for the environmental performance of manufacturing firms, to apply these to deepen understanding of the causes of changes in industrial environmental performance and to assess the effectiveness of different policy instruments in improving firms’ overall environmental performance. The study focuses on materials and energy use, and waste emissions, at both the plant and firm level.
Key methodology elements of MEPI are:
Within the project the Centre for Environmental Strategy (CES) is involved in the development of physical environmental performance indicators, as well as the development of a questionnaire for a targeted survey of firms in the UK textile finishing sector. At later stages, CES will be carrying out analyses of industrial environmental performance over all firms to establish patterns as well as interview-based comparative case studies to elucidate in detail the causes of patterns of environmental performance.
- a focus on six different industrial sectors: fertiliser, textile finishing, book and magazine printing, computer manufacturing, pulp and paper, and electricity industries;
- a focus on six countries: UK, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium;
- construction of a database containing environmental and business data for a hundreds of sites/firms;
- detailed comparative case studies of firms in four sectors with the aim of explaining differences in environmental performances;
- Stakeholder participation and involvement through a review panel.