Carel Dieperink

Diffusion of energy-saving innovations in industry and the built environment: Dutch studies as inputs for a more integrated analytical framework

The need to improve eco-efficiency is indisputable, and the way forward is through widespread application of environmental innovations. Yet research into the dissemination of such innovations in the Netherlands has been limited in scope. Most studies tend to focus on the feasibility of a particular technology. Few try to explain how technology spreads throughout society. The explanatory factors discerned in these studies are often not related to each other. In this contribution the authors try to integrate different partial explanations for the diffusion of energy-saving technologies in industry and the built environment into one conceptual framework. This integration is based on a secondary analysis of relatively well-elaborated studies dealing with the diffusion of heat pumps, combined heat and power and condensing boilers in industry and the built environment. Core of the framework is the decision-making process of the potentially adapting actor. Characteristics of the actor and the networks in which the actor participates (government, market, society) could have impact on this decision-making process. Technological and economic characteristics of the innovation and more general context factors are also relevant as factors that influence the considerations made in the decision-making process. This conceptual framework can be used both in more elaborate research projects and in brainstorming projects to improve policymaking.

Assessing Stability and Dynamics in Flood Risk Governance

European urban agglomerations face increasing flood risks due to urbanization and the effects of climate change. These risks are addressed at European, national and regional policy levels. A diversification and alignment of Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs) can make vulnerable urban agglomerations more resilient to flooding, but this may require new Flood Risk Governance Arrangements (FRGAs) or changes in existing ones. While much technical knowledge on Flood Risk Management is available, scientific insights into the actual and/or necessary FRGAs so far are rather limited and fragmented. This article addresses this knowledge gap by presenting a research approach for assessing FRGAs. This approach allows for the integration of insights from policy scientists and legal scholars into one coherent framework that can be used to identify Flood Risk Management Strategies and analyse Flood Risk Governance Arrangements. In addition, approaches for explaining and evaluating (shifts in) FRGAs are introduced. The research approach is illustrated by referring to the rise of the Dutch risk-based approach called ‘multi-layered safety’ and more specifically its application in the city of Dordrecht. The article is concluded with an overview of potential next steps, including comparative analyses of FRGAs in different regions. Insights in these FRGAS are crucial to enable the identification of action perspectives for flood risk governance for actors at the level of the EU, its member states, regional authorities, and public-private partnerships.

Policy Analysis for Sustainable Development: The Toolbox for the Environmental Social Scientist.

Purpose – The paper seeks to propose the basic competencies of environmental social scientists regarding policy analysis for sustainable development. The ultimate goal is to contribute to an improvement of educational programmes in higher education by suggesting a toolbox that should be integrated in the curriculum.Design/methodology/approach – Starting from the basic research questions regarding governance for sustainable development, five methods are identified capable of answering the following questions: reconstruction of policy theories; stakeholder analysis; impact assessment; cost‐benefit analysis; discourse analysis. Relevant information was collected through a literature review and practical experience by the authors.Findings – These include: minimum content of the toolbox with methods of policy analysis for sustainable development; examples of how the toolbox can be applied; strengths and weaknesses of the methods; specification of competencies of environmental social scientists active in the ar...

Applicability of Decision Support Systems for Integrated Coastal Zone Management

The use of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) has declined since the 1990s. In this article we investigate the opportunities for enhancing the applicability of ICZM-DSSs by considering the following research questions: (1) “What DSS functionalities are important for ICZM decision-making?” and (2) “which of these functionalities are part of present-day ICZM-DSS tools?” The first question has been answered by a literature survey. We identified knowledge- and process-related ICZM challenges and DSS functionalities that may help in meeting these challenges. For the second question, a selection of ICZM-DSS tools has been evaluated. The study shows none of the tools have all of the identified functionalities. The tools support either problem structuring/exploration or impact assessment while none of the tools manages to combine these functions. The implications for both DSS users (coastal managers) and DSS developers are discussed.

From open sewer to salmon run: lessons from the Rhine water quality regime

Abstract The international regime for the River Rhine is widely considered to be unique. In this article, the author draws some lessons from the regimes development. These are related to two distinct strands in the literature. The first can be summarized under the heading of regime theory. It comprises studies dealing with the development of international regimes concerning water quality. These studies view the evolution of any such regime as determined by features of the issues in the light of relevant societal values and the role of transnational interest groups, scientific analysis and progress and the potential for interstate interaction. The second strand comprises aspects of negotiation theory. Its relevance suggests that there are options for trade-offs and that those options can have a positive impact. In addition, this literature helps to identify tactics that may be available to the negotiating parties. Most of these factors have had a positive impact. On the basis of an analysis of the historical development of the Rhine regime, this study elaborates upon three conditions that have had a positive impact on the development of the regime: the presence of an alert, creative and convincing party downstream; the existence of good international relations throughout the catchment area; and the presence of an international river commission, which could generate and disseminate information as well as facilitate negotiations among the riparian states.

Forestry Projects under the Clean Development Mechanism

Afforestation is considered an important option for mitigation of greenhousegas emissions. Recently, plantation projects have been suggested for inclusionunder the Clean Development Mechanism. While considered a cheap option,significant uncertainties make it difficult to determine the (net) carbonbenefits and profitability of forestry projects. The current uncertaintiesabout the regulatory framework of the CDM and the environmental and economicperformance of plantation forestry could create uncertainties with respect tothe additionality of such projects and thus their acceptance under themechanism.Six plantation forestry projects that were proposed in Brazil have been usedas cases to study sources of uncertainty for carbon benefits and economics forsuch projects. These cases vary widely in terms of productivity and productsdelivered. A quantitative model for calculating greenhouse gas balances andfinancial benefits and costs, taking a broad range of variables into account,was developed. Data from the developers of the proposed projects was used asmain source material. Subsequently, scenarios were evaluated, containingdifferent and realistic options for baseline vegetation, carbon creditingsystems and CDM modalities, fluctuations in product prices, discount rates andcarbon prices.The real cost of combined carbon sequestration and substitution for the caseprojects was below

Computer-Supported Cognitive Mapping for Participatory Problem Structuring

3 per ton of carbon avoided, when based exclusivelyon data supplied by project developers. However, potential variations incarbon impact and costs based on scenario options were very large. Differentbaseline vegetation or adopting a different discount rate cause carbon creditsto vary by as much as an order of magnitude. Different carbon crediting systemsor fluctuations in (commodity) product prices cause variations up to200% in carbon credits and NPV. This makes the additionality of suchprojects difficult to determine. Five of the six case projects seem uneligiblefor development under the CDM. A critical attitude towards the use ofplantation projects under the CDM seems justified.

Successful International Cooperation in the Rhine Catchment Area

The environmental management and planning community is struggling with a gap between knowledge and policy making. To bridge this gap, ‘decision support systems’, ‘planning support systems’, and other computer tools have been developed to make knowledge about complex issues more accessible for policy makers. However, the use of these systems in practice is limited. One major reason for this is that these systems are designed for well-defined problems, whereas in practice there is often a lack of stakeholder consensus on the problem structure. The aim of this paper is to present, and explore the potential of, a new approach for decision and planning support. The Quasta tool aims at facilitating participatory problem structuring through computer-supported cognitive mapping. The tool, allowing qualitative exploration of scenarios and simultaneous forecasting and backcasting, is tested in four participatory problem-structuring workshops, in which various environmental issues have been discussed. Evaluations of these workshops show that this approach (1) helps stakeholders to become aware of causal relationships, (2) is useful for a qualitative exploration of scenarios, (3) identifies the need for further (in-depth) knowledge, and (4) has a low threshold for nontechnicians.

Toward successful joint knowledge production for climate change adaptation: lessons from six regional projects in the Netherlands

Abstract The international cooperation to control the water quality of the Rhine river is widely rated as successful. By the turn of the century the cooperation has resulted in a well-elaborated international regime. This article reviews the development of the Rhine regime. Explanations for this development are found in the policies of the downstream Dutch government, the activities of NGOs, the efforts of upstream riparian states, and in the activities of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. The gradual improvement of the water quality also helped the progressive regime development along.

Toward design principles for joint knowledge production projects: lessons from the deepest polder of The Netherlands

In the domain of climate change adaptation, joint knowledge production (JKP) through intensive cooperation between scientists, policy-makers, and other actors is often proposed as a means to reconcile supply and demand for knowledge. Regional adaptation projects in the Netherlands form prominent examples of this. However, there is a lack of systematic empirical studies on how JKP can be done successfully. Here, we take the next step toward generating design principles for JKP. We do so by carrying out a comparative analysis of six Dutch adaptation projects using a previously developed assessment framework. Project documents were studied, and 30 semi-structured interviews were held with researchers, policy-makers, and financiers in the projects. Based on project comparisons, we derive and elaborate on two design principles for JKP. First, the most successful projects managed to create what we term a protected space for knowledge development while establishing connections with ongoing policy processes. Successful JKP seems to be more likely in cases in which actors make a conscious decision for the institutional location of the project on the research-policy nexus, whereby the coordinating entity has some characteristics of a boundary organization. Second, specific resources, including facilities, boundary objects, and specific competencies increase the chance for success.