Search Results (2)

The Netherlands has the ambitious target of transitioning to a low-carbon economy by 2050. One factor that may constrain this progress, however, is the large spatial requirements of renewable energy technologies, and resulting competition for land through interlinkages between the Climate (C), Land (L), Energy (E), Water (W) and Food (F) domains—the CLEWF nexus. This study aims at identifying innovations that can improve the performance of the nexus by addressing the land scarcity constraint while supporting the low-carbon economy transition. A framework for the identification of potential innovations applicable in the nexus context was developed and applied. It is derived from a Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) analysis of land scarcity in the Dutch nexus and a stock-taking benchmarking analysis of European countries. An inventory of innovations was prepared based on several classifications of innovations, collecting examples from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Latvia and Sweden. Three innovations were identified as particularly promising: district heating, Energy Service Companies and peak shaving through water pumping. Furthermore, the DPSIR framework was also used to identify overarching societal elements common to countries that successfully implemented sustainable innovations. These were found to relate to long-term political commitments, geopolitical and economic drivers, and pioneering approaches building from and towards national strengths. Full article

Coastal ecosystems are attractive sites for tourism. In the central Pacific coast of Mexico in the La Boquita coastal system (LBCS), consisting of a beach and a coastal lagoon, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model was implemented for the spatial and temporal analysis of socio environmental indicators, aiming to gather information for decision-making and implementation of management strategies. The spatial occupation (umbrellas and tables) of the beach showed a 50–200% increase during the Easter season relative to the low season, while the area containing restaurants (called “ramadas”) increased by 396% in 15 years, representing pressure on land use for tourism purposes. The density of beach users ranged from moderate to high (<10 m²/user) during the holiday seasons in the tourism area. The Trophic index (TRIX), used as an indicator of trophic status, revealed mesotrophic-to-eutrophic conditions in lagoon water due to the limited water exchange with the adjacent ocean and to DIN and DIP inputs from adjacent tourist areas. The analysis of the environmental legislation showed that law enforcement in the LBCS is poor or nil, with most environmental regulations either ignored or having inadequate enforcement monitoring. This has led to the current state of socio environmental disruption. Full article