scholarly journals The Development of Spatial Circularity Discourse in Japan: Ecomodernist, Territorialised, or Both? The Story of Onomichi’s Wastescapes

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Wuyts ◽  
Marjan Marjanović
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Potential Alternative ◽  
The City

Abstract Globally, many national, regional, and urban governments are facilitating circular economy transitions through various pathways. The European Union and China have spearheaded the worldwide shift towards circularity by adopting primarily ecomodernist and technocratic approaches. However, the relevant literature has highlighted the need to integrate conceptualisations of circularity that are more politically and spatially embedded to better suit the local contexts and actual social needs of specific populations. In this paper, we therefore argue that the Japanese approach to circular practices exemplifies a place-bound and just pathway and offers a potential alternative to the European and Chinese methods. Accordingly, we first trace the historical roots of spatial circularity in Japan and then articulate some contemporary circular concepts. Next, we present a detailed analysis of wastescapes in the city of Onomichi to demonstrate through the lived experiences of its citizens that the rather orthodox understandings of circularity that permeate Japanese discourse on circularity coexist with alternative considerations that promote human interactions with nonhuman nature, acknowledge spatial ranges of operations, and value traditional knowledge.

European experience in transition to circular economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.V. Ratner
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
European Experience ◽  
General Scientific ◽  
The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

European Energy Security

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Almas Heshmati ◽  
Shahrouz Abolhosseini
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
The European Union

This chapter reviews relevant literature on the current state and effectiveness of developing renewable energy on energy security in general, and on energy security in the European Union (EU) in particular. The chapter elaborates on primary energy import sources, possible alternatives, and how energy security is affected by the sources of supply. It also gives an analysis of the effects of the Ukrainian crisis, the isolation of Iran on diversification sources, and on European energy security. It examines EU’s energy policy, analyses the best motivation for a new energy policy direction within Europe, and suggests alternative solutions for enhanced energy supply security. The aim is to suggest suitable solutions for energy security in Europe through energy supply diversification. Supply diversification includes alternative energy corridors for reducing dependency on Russia as a supplier and enhancing the power generated by renewable energy sources under the European Union 2020 strategy.

scholarly journals European Regional Inequalities: The Other Face of Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Celeste Perrucchini ◽  
Hiroshi Ito
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Capita Income ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Per Capita Income ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Per Capita

Empirical evidence suggests an overall convergence in terms of GDP and per capita income occurring among the European Union (EU) Member States. Nevertheless, economic inequalities have been increasing at the regional level within European Union countries. Through the review of relevant literature, this study analyzes the increasing inequalities from an economical point of view, focusing on Italy and the UK as examples. First, a general overlook of the empirical evidence of the GDP and per capita income at national and sub-national levels will be presented. Second, an explanation of the possible causes of the results will be proposed through the use of economical and sociological theories. The findings of this research might uncover the relative inefficacy of EU Cohesion policies and point towards the necessity for deeper and more thoughtful measures to continue the convergence of Member States while preserving internal equilibria. This paper ends with discussions for the future directions of the EU.

scholarly journals A Review of Bioplastics and Their Adoption in the Circular Economy

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1229
Author(s):  
Alberto Di Bartolo ◽  
Giulia Infurna ◽  
Nadka Tzankova Dintcheva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Net Zero

The European Union is working towards the 2050 net-zero emissions goal and tackling the ever-growing environmental and sustainability crisis by implementing the European Green Deal. The shift towards a more sustainable society is intertwined with the production, use, and disposal of plastic in the European economy. Emissions generated by plastic production, plastic waste, littering and leakage in nature, insufficient recycling, are some of the issues addressed by the European Commission. Adoption of bioplastics–plastics that are biodegradable, bio-based, or both–is under assessment as one way to decouple society from the use of fossil resources, and to mitigate specific environmental risks related to plastic waste. In this work, we aim at reviewing the field of bioplastics, including standards and life cycle assessment studies, and discuss some of the challenges that can be currently identified with the adoption of these materials.

scholarly journals Towards Circular Economy—A Comparative Analysis of the Countries of the European Union

Resources ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Ewa Mazur-Wierzbicka
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Spatial Differentiation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Population Member ◽  
Research Population

There are many studies which implement and assess existing measurement manners and document the progress of entities towards the circular economy (CE) at various levels, or present or propose new possibilities of measurement. The majority of them refer to the micro level. The aim of this paper is to conduct a multidimensional comparative analysis of the implementation of circular economy by EU countries. After an in-depth critical analysis of the literature, CE indicators which were proposed by the European Commission were adopted as a basis. Owing to the research population-Member States of the European Union (EU-28), focusing on the said indicators was declared reasonable in all aspects. The classification of EU countries according to the level of their advancement in the concept of CE was adopted as a main research task. In order to do so, a relevant index of development of circular economy was created (IDCE). This will allow us, inter alia, to trace changes in the spatial differentiation of advancement of the EU countries in implementing CE over the years, to identify CE implementation leaders as well as countries particularly delayed in this regard. The comparative analysis was conducted by means of statistical methods. On the basis of the analyses, it was concluded that among all EU countries, those of the old EU are the most advanced in terms of CE. The analysis confirmed significant rising trends for IDCE only in the case of Belgium and The Netherlands.

The (in)securitization practices of the three universes of EU border control: Military/Navy – border guards/police – database analysts

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Bigo
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Border Control ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Professional Dispositions ◽  
Work Routines ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Control Technologies ◽  
Practical Sense ◽  
The Eu

What practices of (in)securitization involve the notions of border and border control in the European Union? How do these practices operate? How are they assembled? In the resulting assemblage, is the notion of borders – understood as state borders – still relevant for the control of individuals and populations moving across the frontiers of the EU? Drawing on empirical observations and with a specific focus on how border control is translated into different social universes, this article seeks to show that practices of control are routinely embedded in a practical sense that informs what controlling borders does and means. This practical sense is itself informed by different professional habitus and work routines involving deterrence and the use of force, interrogation and detention, surveillance of populations on the move and the profiling of (un)trusted travellers. Its strength varies in relation to its shared dimension by most of the operators, and is adjusted to the materiality of borders as well as to the local contexts in which it is deployed. It activates, or does not activate, the maximal use of various control technologies (satellites, pre-registration and interoperable exchange of data between the state and private bureaucracies, biometrics identifiers, body-scanners). For understanding practices of (in)securitization, actual work routines and the specific professional ‘dispositions’ are therefore more important than any discourses actors may use to justify their activities.

scholarly journals Modeling the Circular Economy Processes at the EU Level Using an Evaluation Algorithm Based on Shannon Entropy

Processes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Busu ◽  
Mihail Busu
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Shannon Entropy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Second Law Of Thermodynamics ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Composite Indicator ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Scale Reduction ◽  
Evaluation Algorithm ◽  
Material Circulation

In this paper we propose a methodology to study circular economy processes based on mathematical modelling. In open-ended systems, waste could be converted back to recycling, transforming the economy from linear to circular. The concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics give the argument for a scale reduction of material circulation. As humans extract more and more energy and matter for the economy, the degree of entropy is likely to increase. Based on the findings of economic studies on the implications of industrialization in the case of growing economies, this study aims at evaluating circular economy processes at the European Union (EU) level using a Shannon-Entropy-based algorithm. An entropy-based analysis was conducted for the 28 European Union countries during the time frame 2007–2016. The modelling process consists of constructing a composite indicator which is composed of a weighted sum of all indicators developed by an algorithm based on Shannon Entropy. The weights assigned to each indicator in our analysis measure the significance of each indicator involved in the development of the composite indicator. The results are similar to the international rakings, consolidating and confirming the accuracy and reliability of this approach.

scholarly journals The Market’s Maturity for Public Procurement of Circular Furniture: A Study from Latvia

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 242-250
Author(s):  
Jana Simanovska ◽  
Inese Pelsa
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Gross Domestic Product ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Important Task ◽  
Domestic Product ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Survey Results

Public procurement plays an important role in the market by making up 14% of the Gross Domestic Product in the European Union, therefore it is seen as an important instrument to promote such products and services that better meet society’s demands, for example, sustainability. Starting from 2015, circularity is an important aspect of sustainability. Furniture is among the product groups with a significant impact on the material footprint, therefore approaches to increase material efficiency and circularity are of high value. With this research, the authors investigate the market’s maturity, i.e. the readiness of suppliers to offer circular furniture and services, as well as the readiness of municipalities to uptake it. 20 companies and 27 municipalities took part in the survey. Results show that the surveyed companies currently are more ready to offer more circular products and services than municipalities require in the procurement tenders. Most surveyed municipalities are maintaining and repairing the furniture by themselves that is a circular approach but without outsourcing. The market consultation before the tendering could help to understand the market abilities better and lead to more circular purchasing contracts. This is an important task considering the importance of public procurement in promoting a circular economy.

scholarly journals MEASURING THE PROGRESS TOWARDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Nicolae Pintilie ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Continuous Actions ◽  
Consumption Waste

This paper aims to create an image of progress towards circular economy registered by European Union countries through specific indicators. In this way, this paper is based on the study and analysis of the 13 indicators, grouped on 4 pillars: Production and consumption, Waste management, Secondary raw materials, Competitiveness and innovation. After the presentation of the methodology, the paper develops an analysis in time and space of the selected indicators, then an analysis of the countries with their grouping on clusters, creating a map of them and highlighting the current situation of circular economy in the European Union. Moreover, the paper also presents the evolution of the countries regarding circular economy, which has a big importance taking into account that in the European Union the preoccupations for this concept is higher from one period to another. Among the most interesting results are: (1) a massive concentration of countries with problems for Waste management pillar; (2) Europe is one of the regions with the largest contribution in terms of circular economy, but the concept is developing differently from one country to another; (3) The scoreboard evolution is particularly useful in revealing the continuous actions adopted by countries in order to facilitate the conversion to circular economy. Finally, the paper presents possible limits of the research, but also future directions of its development.

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