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a b s t r a c t Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can contribute to the deep CO2 cuts which are necessary to achieve climate change targets. There is, however, a strong public debate whether CCS should be implemented. In this article we give an overview of the arguments for and against based on the opinion of Dutch stake- holders. CCS is an umbrella term for a wide range of different configurations of separate technologies. Some arguments are applicable in general for all CCS chains; some are only valid for a particular con- figuration. In this paper we will discuss these arguments in the context of the background of different CCS configurations. The argument that CCS costs a lot of extra energy, for instance, is valid for the power sector, not for gas treatment. A good understanding of the CCS debate and the arguments used may help with developing a better energy policy and may give direction to future research and technology development.

This paper discusses the economic, social and environmental benefits from using solar water heating (SWH) in Zimbabwe. By comparing different water heating technology usage in three sectors over a 25-year period, the potential of SWH is demonstrated in alleviating energy and economic problems that energy-importing countries like Zimbabwe are facing. SWH would reduce coincident electricity winter peak demand by 13% and reduce final energy demand by 27%, assuming a 50% penetration rate of SWH potential demand. Up to $250 million can be saved and CO2 emissions can be reduced by 29% over the 25-year period. Benefits are also present at individual consumer level, for the electricity utility, as well as for society at large. In the case of Zimbabwe, policy strategies that can support renewable energy technologies are already in current government policy, but this political will need to be translated into enhanced practical activities. A multi-stakeholder approach appears to be the best approach to promoting widespread dissemination of SWH technologies.

From the perspective of care ethics, developed by Joan Tronto, we reflect on four attunement patterns identified in stories of hospitalized patients. Presuming that all patients can be approached as autonomous clients does not fit with the variety of patients’ expectations about the role and responsibilities they are able and willing to take. We therefore conclude that many professional caregivers fail in attuning to patients’ expectations regarding the taking up of roles. We argue that good care only works out when professional caregivers are involved in a continuous dialogue with patients about the mutual responsibilities they are able and willing to take. The typology we offered might help care professionals to improve quality of care from a moral point of view.

This article studies the roles three science-based models play in Dutch policy and decision making processes. Key is the interaction between model construction and environment. Their political and scientific environments form contexts that shape the roles of models in policy decision making. Attention is paid to three aspects of the wider context of the models: a) the history of the construction process; b) (changes in) the political and scientific environments; and c) the use in policy processes over longer periods of time. Models are more successfully used when they are constructed in a stable political and scientific environment. Stability and certainty within a scientific field seems to be a key predictor for the usefulness of models for policy making. The economic model is more disputed than the ecology-based model and the model that has its theoretical foundation in physics and chemistry. The roles models play in policy processes are too complex to be considered as straightforward technocratic powers.

Using narrative methodology, we assess the feasibility of the active and independent patient, an image portrayed in Dutch government papers and contested by patient organizations, medical occupational groups and political parties. 109 stories about hospital care from 103 patients were collected online. Storyline analysis resulted in nine experience types that describe prototypical situations in which patients find themselves in the hospital. These nine types offer a rich picture of patient perspectives on quality and safety of hospital care. Being in the hospital creates a tension for the patient. On the one hand, many patients are scared and become silent. On the other hand, many patients feel the need to speak out, and to be involved in their own care trajectory. We argue that this tension cannot be taken away, as it is a part of being a patient in a hospital. Instead, we propose that the hospital system should be designed in such a way that sensitivity for this tension is taken into account. Patient narratives could be fruitfully deployed for this purpose. Our study shows that narrative research is a promising method for TA as it offers a tool for identifying contextualised dilemma’s experienced by stakeholders and users of large socio-technical systems.