5 results on '"Kalt, A."'
Search Results
2. Agents of transition or defenders of the status quo? Trade union strategies in green transitions.
- Author
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Kalt, Tobias
- Subjects
POWER resources ,COALITIONS - Abstract
Green transitions create major challenges to union power in carbon-intensive economies as well as opportunities for the renewal of union power. This research asks why sometimes unions oppose or delay green transitions while other times unions are more open to green transitions and may even become strong transition supporters. In drawing on the Power Resource Approach, I argue that unions are neither natural opponents nor supporters of green transitions but instead engage strategically with green transitions. Unions' strategic choices to pursue oppositional, reactive, affirmative or transformative transition strategies is guided by an imperative to maintain or expand their power resources. The strategic choices unions make are influenced by several contextual conditions. In a comparative case study on coal transitions in South Africa and Germany, I identify the following contextual conditions: sectoral interests, organisational identity, internal structure, coalitions, political- and socio-economic environment, governance context and public discourse. Regarding each of these, I show how unions make strategic choices to protect or expand different power resources and become agents of transition or defenders of the status quo. This paper contributes to empirical research on drivers behind union transition strategies and offers an analytical framework to explain unions' strategic choices in green transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Food systems in a zero-deforestation world: Dietary change is more important than intensification for climate targets in 2050
- Author
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Wilfried Winiwarter, Karl-Heinz Erb, Michaela C. Theurl, Tiago G. Morais, Tiago Domingos, Helmut Haberl, Christian Lauk, Ricardo F.M. Teixeira, Andreas Mayer, Katrin Kaltenegger, and Gerald Kalt
- Subjects
2. Zero hunger ,Environmental Engineering ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,business.industry ,Climate change ,Soil carbon ,15. Life on land ,010501 environmental sciences ,7. Clean energy ,01 natural sciences ,Pollution ,13. Climate action ,Agriculture ,Environmental protection ,Deforestation ,Greenhouse gas ,Sustainability ,Environmental Chemistry ,Food systems ,Environmental science ,Land use, land-use change and forestry ,business ,Waste Management and Disposal ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Global food systems contribute to climate change, the transgression of planetary boundaries and deforestation. An improved understanding of the environmental impacts of different food system futures is crucial for forging strategies to sustainably nourish a growing world population.We here quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of global food systemscenarios within a biophysically feasible “option space” in 2050 comprising all scenarios inwhich biomass supply – calculated as function of agricultural area and yields – is sufficient to cover biomass demand – derived fromhuman diets and the feed demand of livestock.We assessed the biophysical feasibility of 520 scenarios in a hypothetical no-deforestation world. For all feasible scenarios, we calculate (in) direct GHG emissions related to agriculture. We also include (possibly negative) GHG emissions fromland-use change, including changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and carbon sinks fromvegetation regrowth on land spared from food production.We identify 313 of 520 scenarios as feasible. Agricultural GHG emissions (excluding land use change) of feasible scenarios range from 1.7 to 12.5 Gt CO2e yr−1. When including changes in SOC and vegetation regrowth on spare land, the range is between−10.7 and 12.5 Gt CO2e yr−1. Our results show that diets are the main determinant of GHG emissions, with highest GHG emissions found for scenarios including high meat demand, especially if focused on ruminant meat and milk, and lowest emissions for scenarios with vegan diets. Contrary to frequent claims, our results indicate that diets and the composition and quantity of livestock feed, not crop yields, are the strongest determinants of GHG emissions from food-systems when existing forests are to be protected.
- Published
- 2020
4. Exploring the option space for land system futures at regional to global scales: The diagnostic agro-food, land use and greenhouse gas emission model BioBaM-GHG 2.0.
- Author
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Kalt, Gerald, Mayer, Andreas, Haberl, Helmut, Kaufmann, Lisa, Lauk, Christian, Matej, Sarah, Röös, Elin, Theurl, Michaela C., and Erb, Karl-Heinz
- Subjects
- *
LAND use , *GREENHOUSE gases , *CLIMATE change mitigation , *LIVESTOCK productivity , *FARMS , *AGRICULTURAL technology , *ANIMAL culture - Abstract
• We present the diagnostic biophysical land-system and GHG emission model BioBaM-GHG 2.0. • BioBaM is designed for evaluating the feasibility and associated GHG emissions of large numbers of agro-food system and land-use scenarios at various scales. • We present model algorithms, data structures and the software environment. • As illustrative example, we analyse scenarios for the expansion of agro-ecological measures in the European Union. • As second example, we present an assessment of global potentials for afforestation as climate mitigation measure. Close to 40% of Earth's land area is used for agriculture to provide humankind with plant- and animal-based food, fibers or bioenergy. Future trends in agricultural land use, livestock husbandry and associated environmental pressures are determined by developments in the food sector, agricultural productivity, technology, and many other influencing factors. Scenario analysis helps to understand their complex interaction and obtain quantitative insight. We here present an in-depth description of the agricultural land use model BioBaM-GHG 2.0 ("BioBaM"), designed for evaluating large numbers of agricultural and livestock production scenarios assembled on the basis of exogenous assumptions on food systems, crop yields and other factors. BioBaM determines the feasibility of specific parameter combinations and the corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural activities, livestock husbandry, land-use change and other activities. We provide a description of the software environment, the model's data structures, input and output variables and model algorithms. To illustrate the model's capabilities and the scope of model applications, we describe two exemplary studies performed with BioBaM: We assess implications of agro-ecological innovations and the feasibility of their widespread application in order to illustrate their implications in terms of agricultural self-sufficiency and GHG emissions. This first case study aligns a small number of individual scenarios with qualitative storylines. We also showcase a "biophysical option space approach", which represents a comprehensive sensitivity analysis regarding the multidimensional uncertainties inherent to main influencing parameters, i.e. projections for diets and yields; assumptions on cropland use for bioenergy, and regarding grassland intensification. The global potential of forest regeneration for climate change mitigation serves as an example for this second approach. The option space comprises 90 scenarios and encompasses the full range of literature estimates on GHG mitigation from afforestation in 2050 (0.5 – 7 Gt CO 2 /yr). It further shows that the potential is zero under certain diet-yield-combinations. Assuming zero energy crop cultivation and global convergence to a healthy reference diet, the sequestration potential of afforestation rises to 10 Gt CO 2 /yr in 2050. These exemplary applications illustrate how option spaces developed with BioBaM can complement scenario-based assessments that usually focus on small numbers of individual scenarios: Option spaces shift attention to a wider scope of conceivable futures and thus support a comprehensive view on systemic relations and dependencies, whereas analyses with few scenarios allow apprehension of much more detailed scenario narratives and qualifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Agroecological practices in combination with healthy diets can help meet EU food system policy targets.
- Author
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Röös, Elin, Mayer, Andreas, Muller, Adrian, Kalt, Gerald, Ferguson, Shon, Erb, Karl-Heinz, Hart, Rob, Matej, Sarah, Kaufmann, Lisa, Pfeifer, Catherine, Frehner, Anita, Smith, Pete, and Schwarz, Gerald
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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