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Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions has emerged as a crucial challenge for the passenger transport system. We introduce an inter- and transdisciplinary scheme for the development and assessment of socially and politically feasible transport policy packages to achieve net-zero transport emissions and illustrate the scheme via application to the EU member state of Austria. We find mutual disciplinary dependencies as well as the need for co-generation between science and practice, with a varying mix of stakeholders and disciplines relevant across different scheme steps. Results show that the assessment of legal feasibility and in particular proportionality rely on socioeconomic analysis. While economic incentives are crucial, an early announced ban on fossil fuel cars is needed to fully achieve carbon neutrality. Infrastructure development and education also need prompt redirection to keep the economic transition costs low. Overall, a such redesigned transport system imposes lower costs for society, providing a further implementation incentive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Major efforts are still needed to decarbonize passenger transport. To do so, a combination of improved technologies, a shift towards public transport, cycling and walking and the avoidance of trips is crucial. However, to ensure successful implementation, we need to better understand how these strategies affect the overall costs to society. Therefore, we assess the social costs of a decarbonized ground-based passenger transport system in 2040, covering vehicle costs, costs for externalities and travel time costs across travel modes. Our results show that social costs decline with the introduction of decarbonization strategies. Specific effects include a reduction of vehicle costs and external costs, a rise in external benefits due to positive health effects of active mobility that overcompensate remaining external costs, and possibly increased travel time costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the manoeuvring room of higher education institutions to take action to reduce emissions from academic flying. In particular, this study investigates how university staff and central actors in university management evaluate potential measures in this area. Design/methodology/approach: The authors applied a single case study design encompassing an online survey directed at staff (N = 338) and 11 semi-structured interviews with key actors from management at an Austrian university. The authors used descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis to examine the data. Findings: This study found considerable support among university staff in principle for implementing measures to reduce academic flying, but also serious concerns about the fairness and viability of some restrictive measures, especially disincentives and caps on flying. However, bans on short-haul flights were largely supported. Actors from university management saw their manoeuvring room limited by the potential resistance and non-compliance of staff, as well as by framework conditions external to the university. Practical implications: Dedicated leadership is needed to facilitate broad commitment within the university and to avoid shifting the responsibility between different governance levels. Restrictive measures to reduce academic air travel will be more readily accepted if perceived as fair and viable. Originality/value: Although several papers have addressed the behavioural and institutional factors that sustain extensive flying in academia, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first contributions to investigate the potentials and challenges of introducing measures to reduce air travel in higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When viewed through the lens of the laws of thermodynamics and complexity theory, educational systems can provide relevant and reliable information for understanding and predicting policy performance over time. The model presented here describes an endogenous closed system that conserves matter and replicates aggregate patterns observed in reality, including the tendency of entropy to increase toward a maximum level, as a result of internal positive feedbacks. Simulations are used to help understand the long-term impact of exogenous events such as changes in educated population, per capita income, and school infrastructure. The resulting changes in the system's steady-state equilibrium suggest conditions that may promote a sustainable transition toward universal primary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing energy prices and market volatilities force energy intensive industries to implement energy management systems in order to ensure competitiveness. In this paper, we focus on the strategic level of energy management, specifically, on the analysis of the internal and external conditions that form the basis for strategic development. For this, we selected the case of the Austrian paper and pulp industry. We applied a hybrid method by combining an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with an analytic hierarchy process which was based on a survey of expert opinion. The results show that cost-related factors predominate. According to our analysis, the four most important factors are all directly linked to energy costs, energy efficiency, and the energy market. Experts pay little attention to environmental issues or to energy market volatilities. Apart from that, the combination of an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with an analytic hierarchy process promises to be a valuable tool for strategic energy management. This is especially true for energy intensive companies and/or sectors, since it enables decision makers to take strategic decisions based on a systematic understanding of the main issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geoengineering, the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change, has been more widely considered as an accompanying strategy to conventional climate change mitigation measures to combat global warming. However, this approach is far from achieving agreements from different institutional domains. Geoengineering, intended to be deployed on a planetary scale, would cause fundamental interventions to the human-environment system and create new risks and problems with high uncertainty and uneven distribution around the globe. Apart from the physical effects, conflicting attitudes appear from social, economic, and environmental worldviews in the international community. The intertwined sociotechnical complexity and conflicting attitudes make geoengineering a wicked and complex issue. This article elaborates the wickedness and complexity from a system perspective, primarily for an interdisciplinary, policy-oriented audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The need to calculate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) has become more or less ubiquitous throughout the economy, both in public and private areas. As present, a diverse number of calculation methods are available for preparing GHG emission inventories. However, several questions remain unresolved since there is currently no uniformity regarding how to define ‘the waste management industry’. The present paper focuses on these problems. The objectives are: first, to provide an approach for setting up a GHG emission inventory for the waste management sector; and second, to consider the sensitive issue of setting system boundaries when establishing a GHG emission inventory and also to emphasise the considerable need for caution when doing so. The approach elaborated here is based on a comprehensive literature analysis and on a comparison of existing GHG emission calculation approaches, particularly with regard to the waste management sector. Since the issue of selecting system boundaries for establishing GHG emission inventories, particularly in the waste management sector, is a very special and difficult topic, it receives considerable attention in the present paper. This means that the system boundaries and interfaces with respect to three illustrative areas are considered in some depth. These areas are collection and transport, incineration and co-combustion, and biogas plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Closing loops by intercompany recycling of by-products is a core theme of industrial ecology (IE). This article considers whether industrial recycling networks or industrial symbiosis projects can be used as a starting point for much broader intercompany cooperation for sustainable development. Evidence presented is based on the results of an empirical investigation of the recycling network Styria in Austria, the recycling network Oldenburger Münsterland in Germany, and the manufacturing sector in Austria. Statistical analysis shows that the percentage of by-products that are passed on to other companies for recycling purposes is not higher in member companies of the recycling networks than in the other companies of the manufacturing sector in Austria. In terms of cooperation, the relationships with the respective recycling partners are found to be very similar to regular customer relations. Furthermore, the companies of the recycling networks remain unaware of the network to which they belong. Instead, one of the main findings of this study is that intercompany recycling activities are regarded by the company representatives as bilateral market transactions, not as collaborative network activities. This has potentially significant implications for the use of industrial symbiosis networks as starting points for sustainability networks with broader cooperation toward sustainability. The findings raise interesting questions as to whether such broader cooperation might result from a conscious planning process or might emerge largely spontaneously as part of normal market coordination. In any case, intercompany recycling is clearly considered to be a very important field of collaborative action for sustainability in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sustainable development and the interplay between its ecological, social, and economic dimensions can be regarded as a highly complex task. As a logical consequence, educating for sustainable development also has a complex character. Traditional unidirectional educational processes are only of very limited use when educating for sustainable development: Firstly, the initial state of the considered system (case) cannot be described precisely; secondly, the target state of the system is also not sufficiently known; and thirdly, the process between initial state and target state and potential barriers that might have to be passed are also not exactly known. Pure analytically based solutions are therefore, not available; a dynamic mutual learning process is required instead. Mutual learning based on real-world cases requires an interdisciplinary point of view, transdisciplinary problem-solving processes, and self-regulated and self-responsible learning. Consequently, besides analytical capabilities and deterministic process planning, dealing with the complex problem of sustainable development requires creativity, social competencies and specific communication skills in order to cope with the dynamic change that characterizes the developments in most facets of society and nature. A “vassal” that puts together all these requirements towards an educational process for sustainable development can be a transdisciplinary case study approach: In Austria this was first applied by the University of Graz within the “Erzherzog Johann case study”. In order to educate for sustainable development, the students had to work on a “real-world problem”, the development of possible ways to achieve ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development of the abandoned iron ore mining region of Eisenerz in the middle of Austria. As a core characteristic of this “real-world” case study, besides the cooperation among students, teachers and researchers of the university, the interaction with stakeholders of the region was of outstanding importance. Within transdisciplinary case studies students, teachers and researchers have to abandon the role paradigm of the teacher as provider of information and the students as “consumers” of the provided information. Knowledge and competences imparted in university classes need to be applied simultaneously within the real-world case to allow a demand-driven process of mutual learning in which students are self-responsible and decide which tools to apply in the process of attaining sustainable development. Because of the dynamics of this process, students experience the process of sustainable development instead of purely memorizing its characteristics. The process of educating for sustainable development and practical applied sustainability therefore, becomes sustainable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We investigate the design of effective and sustainable transport policy packages. • We combine a literature review, expert interviews and a stakeholder workshop. • Sustainable transport policy packages need to be disruptive and implementable. • Infrastructure provision and spatial planning form the basis of such packages. • Fear of low public acceptance for restrictive measures is not necessarily justified. In order to achieve emission reduction targets in the passenger transport sector, the demand side and especially the mobility behavior of consumers deserve special attention. It is unlikely that such behavior will change without significant political intervention, nor will single policy instruments be sufficient to induce the needed changes. In this study, therefore, we analyze the design of so-called disruptive policy packages required to drastically reduce passenger transport emissions in industrialized countries and illustrate it for the case of Austria. Our research approach consists of three methods: a literature review to develop a policy category system, expert interviews to build effective policy packages and a stakeholder workshop to identify the specific needs of different geographical areas. For the design of successful policy packages, we identify two critical dimensions, disruptiveness (having high-level and rapid effectiveness) and implementability. A well-balanced combination of diverse policy instruments is required to adequately address both dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disruptive policy packages that fundamentally change the current unsustainable passenger transport structures and enable low-carbon mobility transformation are inevitable. This implies the use of more stringent and multiple restrictive (i.e. push) measures. To enable successful implementation, public acceptance is critical, but what drives this acceptance? In this study, two main hypotheses were tested using survey methods that combined a two-group framing with a conjoint experiment: (1) The acceptance of push measures decreases as disruption increases; (2) disruptive push measures are less likely to be rejected when communicated as part of a policy package that included complementary pull measures (i.e. incentives). We conducted this survey with a quota-representative sample of 1,032 respondents from Austria. Two main findings emerge: First, we find low public acceptance of push measures, but observe differences based on the level of disruption (i.e. the measures' intensity or rapidity of implementation). The more disruptive the measure (e.g. a registration ban for fossil fuel cars or a fuel price increase), the more negatively these measures were evaluated by survey respondents. Second, our results indicate the need to communicate and implement high-impact, more restrictive push measures (e.g. car bans) as part of policy packages that include acceptance-boosting pull measures. Successful and acceptable mitigation policies for low-carbon mobility require multiple push measures that are communicated in policy packages together with pull measures. Acceptance levels of push measures are generally low, but acceptance differs depending on how disruptive the respective policy is, with the more disruptive policies being less well accepted. Acceptable combinations of push measures may include higher parking fees, car-free city centres, and street redesign to, e.g. prioritize non-motorized modes of transport. Responses to the presented push measures vary across society, with frequent car users showing higher levels of rejection dependent on the included policy measures, underlining the need to tailor policies for specific contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to large-scale renewable energy systems, distributed systems have diffused relatively slowly in recent years, particularly in developing countries. In this study, we analysed the barriers to the diffusion of distributed photovoltaics in South Africa by applying the technological innovation system framework. More specifically, we carried out an interview-based structural-functional analysis to identify underlying systemic problems, reveal their patterns of interaction, and analyse the implications of these patterns for the relationship among the key processes within the innovation system, the so-called system functions. We identified a variety of interlinked problems, shed light on the specific roles of different, mal-performing, system functions, and revealed constellations where specific functions blocked each other and, thereby, created lock-in situations. Although the findings reveal the complexity of the problems that are associated with the implementation of distributed energy technologies, they also indicate that these problems may be addressed successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social scientists and psychologists who study environmental issues need to improve their measures to capture relevant pro-environmental behaviors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – the main driver of climate change. They also need to identify meaningful predictors for these behaviors, which go beyond mere statistical significance. In this large representative study of the Austrian population (N = 1,083), we aim at addressing both issues. We focus on relevant and specific energy-related behavioral intentions (traveling, electricity consumption and heating) and test a set of preregistered social-psychological predictors in path models, followed by an exploratory machine-learning approach. We show that a combination of some prominent predictors – perceived behavior control, consideration of future and immediate consequences, and willingness to sacrifice – accounts for only 20 to 30% of variance in behavioral intentions. We suggest that future studies confirm our results in other cultures and set even higher qualitative benchmarks for measures and predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing frequency of heatwaves, particularly in urban contexts, is one of the perceptible consequences of climate change. A city’s vulnerability to these heatwaves must be determined to develop proper adaptation measures. This article addresses the vulnerability of a medium-sized city in Central Europe, Graz, to heatwaves. Based on secondary data and primary data gathered from expert interviews, we identified certain determinants of vulnerability for the city: temperature, proportion of open and green spaces to developed areas, construction period of buildings, distribution of age and poverty risk, adaptation strategies used, and risk perception levels assessed for decision makers in the city administration. Certain city districts can be classified as particularly vulnerable. A high level of risk perception was detected among all decision makers and some adaptation measures have already been enacted. In particular, inter-organizational collaboration in adaptation networks works effectively. A deficit in efficient communication between researchers, policy makers, and members of the public was perceived to be the main barrier. This case study exemplifies the assessment of a city’s vulnerability to heatwaves on the basis of particular determinants and can be applied to many other cities. Policy relevance The method applied revealed potential improvements and opportunities on the policy level. Strong networks for climate change adaptation are most effective if regular meetings take place, allowing trust and friendship to grow between decision makers. More target-group-oriented information is needed. Emergency organizations, in particular, need more information, because the perception of heatwave risks has only been based thus far on personal experiences. By establishing a central authority, more information could be provided on heatwaves in cities. The need to raise the perception of members of the population and motivate them to take personal responsibility during disasters was emphasized by interviewed decision makers. This can be supported by providing advice during heatwaves through newspapers, TV, and radio. People in risk groups and their relatives could be trained in workshops. City areas that are at high risk should be marked on maps to make relevant information more tangible for decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of increasing importance of sustainability-oriented goals, it is also necessary that the controlling of the company adapts its planning, control and reporting systems. Thus decision-relevant information for the management is available. This requires that the ecological and social impact of a product, system or process must be quantified. For this quantification different models are available in literature: on the one hand environmental and social cost accounting systems, on the other hand rating systems. All these methods quantify sustainability and express it in monetary terms. But they are isolated and independently of the others. To fill this gap the paper aims to create a holistic approach in which the different methods in connection with the concept of lifecycle are combined. So a "cradle to cradle"-consideration of the sustainability cost is possible. Because of this the main objective of this paper is to show how the lifecycle concept can be used for a sustainable cost accounting approach (sustainability-oriented lifecycle costing). Additional to this recommendations for practical use are derived. To achieve these objectives the three dimensions for holistic management of the triple bottom line are described theoretically by the different instruments. All of these methods subsequently are connected in the final concept of sustainability-oriented lifecycle costing. Based on this conclusions for practical use are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourth-generation district heating networks (4GDH) can play a special role in the efficient and climate-friendly use of energy. In this study, we have examined the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of this innovative technology. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, we assessed the SWOT-factors in terms of their importance. Among the factors that were weighted with the highest relative importance were the ability of 4GDH to serve as a label bundling and stimulating considerations with respect to the further development of district heating systems and the increased value creation within the national economy through the inclusion of local, renewable energy sources. Moreover, the interviewed experts agreed that regulatory frameworks in the context of 4GDH have to be further developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We, the Editor[s] and Publisher of Climate Policy, have retracted the following article: We, the authors, Editors and Publisher of the journal Climate Policy, have retracted the following article: Thaller, A., Wicki, M., Fleiß, E., Maier, R., Posch, A. (2023). Pushing low-carbon mobility:A survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages, Climate Policy,' 1–13, doi: After its publication, we have identified a coding error within the data cleaning file, leading to the incorrect labelling of some attributes for the main analysis of the choice experiment. As this alters the results and conclusions for some of the policies examined (particulady the ICEV registration and use bans, car-free centres, and street redesign policies), the authors alerted the issue to the Editors and Publisher, and all have agreed to retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. The authors have been invited to resubmit the correctäd version of the article for review and consideration for publication. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines. We deeply regret this error and sincerely apologize for any confusion it may have caused. We are committed to the highest standards of research and appreciate the understanding of our readers and peers in this matter. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as "Retracted". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transition towards renewable energy production is one proposed solution as one means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, photovoltaic citizen participation initiatives are a cornerstone in fostering the diffusion of renewables allowing for active citizen engagement. This article investigates the drivers behind people's decision to participate in two selected Austrian citizen participation initiatives in the field of photovoltaics based on a survey of 870 (potential) adopters. In addition to commonly used indicators, variables assessing both – people's desires, (their goals or ‘preferences’ with respect to energy autonomy, environmental protection, financial aspects, etc.), and their beliefs (how likely they think their participation in a citizen participation initiative in the field of photovoltaics will help them achieve these goals) are also included in the analysis. The findings show that people's desires are not decisive in deciding on PV participation, and that financial beliefs are the main driver behind joining such an initiative. This focus on financial gain clearly poses a risk in any attempted transition towards renewable energy production, as it indicates that adopters may withdraw from participation as soon as a more attractive investment opportunity becomes available. It also indicates that subsidized feed-in tariffs are likely to be essential in any long-term transition policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to systematically identify and assess critical factors, which foster or hinder the development of bottom-up initiatives in the diffusion of photovoltaics. Bottom-up initiatives are social innovations, which entail civil engagement in energy transition at a local or regional level, and are expected to play a growing role in the governance of local energy systems in Europe. A mixed design methodology is used to identify critical factors and assess their importance. This involves combining an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with an analytic hierarchy process. The findings indicate that successful initiatives are those which are able to draw upon substantial local public interest and trust in the new technology, and which manage to combine financial attractiveness with environmental concerns. The results make clear that the political context is also an extremely important success factor. Given the appropriate circumstances, such initiatives may make a significant contribution in the transition to a sustainable energy system, and thus prove useful in reaching European energy targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power-to-X is an upcoming sector-coupling technology that can play a role in the decarbonisation of energy systems. The aim of this study was to widen the current knowledge of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of this innovative technology in the Danish context by utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate and compare perception of academic and industrial experts. The results of this analysis indicate that the external factors such as current policy framework are more important than the internal technology related factors. Further, positive factors predominate negative ones, with academic experts indicating strengths as the most important category and practitioners' opportunities. All experts consider the country being a P2X knowledge hub as one of the most important factors, and in the given context of the Danish energy system, wind developments and Danish industrial environment, seizing this opportunity could be the biggest enabler for P2X success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Different challenges exist, such as climate change and a growing number of people living on the planet, that put pressure on current and future food systems. In the future, more food must be produced on less land. At the same time, food-related greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to be in line with the 2 °C climate goal, to limit potential risks of climate change. In this context, mealworms have been discussed as a sustainable and resource-efficient protein production option in circular food systems. They are an efficient biomass converter of low-quality by-products, such as wheat bran and brewer's spent grain. In this article, we provide an overview of by-products that have been used in mealworm feeding trials. We quantify commonly available by-product types in Austria, and discuss potentials and limitations associated with mealworm farming. We found that further research is needed to better understand the strengths of mealworms in circular food systems, and several hurdles need to be addressed so that mealworm farming becomes more attractive in Western countries. Future food systems must provide more food produced on less land with fewer greenhouse gas emissions if the goal is to keep planetary boundaries within safe zones. The valorisation of agricultural and industrial by-products by insects is an increasingly investigated strategy, because it can help to address resource scarcities and related environmental issues. Thus, insects for food and feed have gained increasing attention as a sustainable protein production strategy in circular food systems lately. In this article, we provide an overview on by-products, which have already been fed to T. molitor (mealworms), a common edible insect species. In addition, we investigate other by-products in Austria, which can be suitable substrates for T. molitor farming. We also provide an overview and discuss different perspectives on T. molitor and link it with the circular economy concept. We identify several future research fields, such as more comprehensive feeding trials with other by-products, feeding trials with mealworms over several generations, and the development of a standardized framework for insect rearing trials. In addition, we argue that due to their ability to convert organic by-products from agricultural and industrial processes into biomass in an efficient way, T. molitor can contribute towards resource-efficient and circular food and feed production. However, several hurdles, such as legal frameworks, need to be adapted, and further research is needed to fully reap the benefits of mealworm farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]