Vilja Varho

The use, non-use and misuse of indicators in sustainability assessment and communication

Sustainability assessments and indicators aim to produce and communicate information needed for evidence-based policymaking, strategic planning or learning. It has been assumed that in order to induce the desired effects, indicators must be relevant and reliable and they must be communicated to the right audience in the right way at the right moment. However, following the criteria for a good indicator does not guarantee that the indicator will be used, nor does it guarantee that the use will produce the desired effects. Various unintended side effects of indicator communication may emerge, particularly with sustainability issues characterised by various actors and multiple temporal, functional and spatial scales. We propose a comprehensive typology summarising different forms of sustainability indicator usage, namely use, non-use and misuse. This typology helps to identify potential positive or negative side effects of indicator usage. We discuss the implications of indicator-based communication, based on insights gathered in four research projects and a literature review. Attention given to potential unintended effects of indicator usage may be the key to increasing the effectiveness of sustainability communication.

Weighing the Risks of Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: Trust in Different Information Sources, Perceived Risks, and Willingness to Pay for Alternatives to Nuclear Power

We examined how individuals perceive nuclear energy in the context of climate change mitigation and how their perceptions are associated with trust in different risk information sources. We analyzed the interrelationships between trust, perceived risk of nuclear power, climate change concern, perception of nuclear energy as an acceptable way to mitigate climate change, and willingness to pay (WTP) for alternatives to nuclear power. A nationwide survey (N = 967) collected in Finland was analyzed with structural equation modeling. The associations between trust and perceived risk of nuclear power, climate change concern, and perception of nuclear power as a way to mitigate climate change varied by the type of information source. Political party support and other background variables were associated with trust in different information sources. The effect of trust in information sources on WTP was mediated by perceived risks and benefits. The results will increase our understanding of how individuals perceive nuclear energy as a way to cut CO2 emissions and the role of trust in different information sources in shaping nuclear risk perceptions and energy choices.

Renewable Energy in the Baltic Sea Region 2025

The renewable energy market doubled in the Baltic Sea Region between 1999 and 2010. The trends are especially driven by global climate agreements as well as European Union target shares of renewable energy. The purpose of this article is to make future scenarios of the developing renewable energy system in the Baltic Sea Region up to 2025. Five qualitative scenarios are made using the futures table method: laissez-faire, nuclear renaissance, fossil dependence, light green, and renewable prosperity. The scenarios form a continuum from lowest to highest renewable energy market. Political, economic, social, technological, and environmental drivers of each scenario are defined and described.