resource nexus - eea knowledge investments for soer 2020 · eea-magic joint workshop “european...

EEA-MAGIC joint workshop “European Union’s environmental policy frameworks through a resource nexus lens”

Copenhagen, 15-16 May 2018

Resource nexus - EEA knowledge investments for SOER 2020

Lorenzo Benini, Ph.D.

Foresight and sustainability assessment group

Introduction

Overview of SOER 2020 and systemic challenges

Resource nexus & knowledge investments

Next steps and open questions

Flow of this presentation

Introduction

Widening, deconstructing, opening-up

StabilizingReconciling, narrowing,

closing

You are expected to:

• be invited to share your view on policy narratives and discuss them in

the light of systemic environmental and societal challenges;

• be confronted with out-of-the-box issues unveiled by the resource

nexus analysis;

• have the opportunity to critically appraise the outcomes of the

analysis and engage in conversations with the MAGIC project team.

Introduction

Widening, deconstructing, opening-up

StabilizingReconciling, narrowing,

closing

..but I could reconsider

that after a beer.

Introduction



Open questions and next

steps


SOER 2020 Integrated assessment logic and structure

Bio

div

ersi

ty &

nat

ure

Sectors

The

me

s

PART 1Setting the scene

integrated assesments from a thematic (chapters 3 – 12) and sectoral perspective (chapters 13 & 14)

summary assessment of progress to 7EAP objectives (chapter 15)

Environmental acquis

Systems perspective (chapter 16);Sustainability challenges and

prospects (chapter 17, 18 & 19)

7EAP

Policy context Global and

European context(chapters 1 & 2)

Fisheries & aquaculture

Forestry

Agriculture

Energy

Transport

Industry

PART 2Environmental and climate trends

PART 3Sustainability prospects

Low–carbon

economy

Bio-economy

Blue economyCircular

economy

PART 4Conclusions

Fres

hw

ate

r

Lan

d a

nd

So

il

Mar

ine

Clim

ate

ch

ange

Air

po

lluti

on

No

ise

Was

te a

nd

res

ou

rce

s

Ch

emic

als

po

lluti

on

Ind

ust

rial

po

lluti

on

Bio

div

ersi

ty &

nat

ure


Forestry

Agriculture

Energy

Transport

Industry

Pa

rt 1

Pa

rt 2

Pa

rt 3

From 7th EAP to 8th EAP

MFF 2021-2028Research and development

needs

Key m

es

sa

ges

Integrated assessments from a thematic (chapters 3 – 12) and sectoral perspective (chapters 13 & 14);

Summary assessment of progress to 7EAP objectives (chapter 15)

SOER 2020 Integrated assessment logic and structure

Bio

div

ersi

ty &

nat

ure

Sectors

The

me

s

PART 1Setting the scene

integrated assesments from a thematic (chapters 3 – 12) and sectoral perspective (chapters 13 & 14)

summary assessment of progress to 7EAP objectives (chapter 15)

Environmental acquis

Systems perspective (chapter 16);Sustainability challenges and

prospects (chapter 17, 18 & 19)

7EAP

Policy context Global and

European context(chapters 1 & 2)


Forestry

Agriculture

Energy

Transport

Industry

PART 2Environmental and climate trends

PART 3Sustainability prospects

Low–carbon

economy

Bio-economy

Blue economyCircular

economy

PART 4Conclusions

Fres

hw

ate

r

Lan

d a

nd

So

il

Mar

ine

Clim

ate

ch

ange

Air

po

lluti

on

No

ise

Was

te a

nd

res

ou

rce

s

Ch

emic

als

po

lluti

on

Ind

ust

rial

po

lluti

on

Bio

div

ersi

ty &

nat

ure


Forestry

Agriculture

Energy

Transport

Industry

Pa

rt 1

Pa

rt 2

Pa

rt 3

From 7th EAP to 8th EAP

MFF 2021-2028Research and development

needs

Key m

es

sa

ges

Integrated assessments from a thematic (chapters 3 – 12) and sectoral perspective (chapters 13 & 14);

Summary assessment of progress to 7EAP objectives (chapter 15)

Systemic

challenges

Analytical take on systemic issues in SOER 2020

PLANETARY

BOUNDARIES

Analytical take on systemic issues in SOER 2020

Sustainability goals,

prospects & transitions

Policy & Governance

in the EU (Responses)

Drivers of Change

Societal

Systems

Systems

Introduction





Resource Nexus – Elements of definition

An example of conceptual framework

Nexus (Nexus Platform)

• Fundamentally about natural resource scarcities - which

can jeopardise human well-being, therefore a security issue

• About the complex interdependencies between water,

energy, food and other resources

• Simply speaking, a nexus is ‘one or more connections

linking two or more things’ (systems perspective)

• Almost always about water-energy-food (e.g. Nexus Platform,

Future Earth) but also land, climate change, wastes (UNU-

Flores), labour and the environment.

• Climate change increasingly integrated as an additional set

of stressors on the nexus

Not a single definition but similar key features across literature and initiatives:

Resource Nexus – Elements of definition

An example of conceptual framework

Nexus (Nexus platform)

• The ambition to account for synergies, tensions and

potential trade-offs between food, energy, water and the

environment…

• .... at multiple spatial and temporal scales (Howells &

Rogner, 2014)

A fundamental shift from a pure sectoral approach to

solutions that embrace a cross-sectoral, coherent and

integrated perspective

Not a single definition but similar key features across literature and initiatives:

Resource Nexus – Policy implications

This challenges existing structures, policies and procedures at global,

regional and national levels

• Diagnosis: sectoral policies create unintended consequences (e.g. biofuels vs. water

and food security)

• Need to address externalities across multiple sectors, with a focus on overall system

efficiency rather than on the productivity of isolated sectors (Hoff 2011)

• Encouraging socio-ecological systems perspectives and

system-wide approaches to planning and decision making

(Davis 2014), inspired by other holistic approaches including

integrated natural resource management, integrated water

resources management, and sustainable development

Low – carbon economy

Bio-economy Circular economy

EEA investments and preliminary results

1. Stock-taking of case studies, resource nexus issues in production

and consumption systems;

2. Long-term implications on European long-term resource demand -

food and energy systems – characterisation and scenario-based

analysis (focus on trade and biophysical constraints);

3. Consistency check of long-term objectives set in policy

frameworks, challenges, trade-offs (Low-Carbon Economy - Clean

power for transport, Circular Economy).

EEA investments and results

1. Stock-taking, focus on systems

illustration of the interplay and trade-offs

between water, land use, energy, food and

materials and the link with natural capital

and ecosystem servicesHuman

Well

Being

Provisioning

Systems

Energy,

Food, Mobility

Energy

Five-Node-Resource Nexus (Water, Land,

Energy, Minerals, Biomass)

Embedded in Natural Capital

Provisio

ning

System

Academic

investigation

s

Technical

reports and

outcomes of the

FP7, the JRC

and the Horizon

2020 projects

Total number of

investigations

Food 28 18 46

Energy 27 13 40

Mobility 11 13 24 : Integrated management and governance

: Natural capital including natural resources,

supporting human well-being through

provisioning systems: Return flows of waste-products and by-

products from provisioning systems


2. Characterisation and mid- to long-term analysis – energy and agriculture

EU-6 dependency on resource imports


2. Characterisation and mid- to long-term analysis – energy and agriculture

Anticipated land use and water consumption in the agricultural and energy sectors of the EU-6 for

2012, 2030 and 2050 (internalization scenario)

Land Use Water


3. Analysis of policy frameworks: Clean power for transport

‘Low-carbon’ transition to electric cars fueled by renewables, implications on inputs,

lithium imports in EU-6 (2012, 2030 and 2050)


3. Analysis of policy frameworks: Clean power for transport

‘Low-carbon’ transition to electric cars fueled by renewables, implications on inputs,

lithium imports in EU-6 (2012, 2030 and 2050)

although not a CRM (yet..)

EC, 2017

Introduction





Next steps and …

• Knowledge investments:

Analysis of stock-taking (literature, EU projects e.g. MAGIC,

SIM4NEXUS);

Further analysis of policy frameworks (e.g. Bioeconomy

Strategy, CAP, Renewable Energy Directive).

Next steps and …

• Knowledge investments:

Analysis of stock-taking (literature, EU projects MAGIC,

SIM4NEXUS);

Further analysis of policy frameworks (e.g. Bioeconomy

Strategy, CAP, Renewable Energy Directive).

• EEA products:

SOER 2020 (drafting summer/fall 2018, publication in 2019);

Mid- to long-term: potential incorporation of findings in other

EEA products (e.g. ‘Implications of drivers of change on

production and consumption systems in Europe’).

… open questions

• The concept is prone to epistemic and ontological tensions

need for an EEA approach to the resource nexus;

• Complementarity / integration between paradigms in

“sustainable transitions”:

socio-technical / solution-driven / technological innovation vs.

precaution-driven / adaptation;

• Balancing complexity and simplification for communicability in

SOER 2020: not too complex but not simplistic;

• Policy relevance: silos vs. systemic view

Thank you

26

• Insights and findings from the project and discussions

mainly point to one issue: dealing with complexity;

• "information silos", "governance silos", "disciplinary silos in

academia" are expected to be able to deal with complex

problems requiring holistic analysis, diversity of values

and a scientific input based on multi-dimensional and

multiscale analysis, which is seldom the case.

Reflections and questions for the panel debate

Status of EEA assessments

Environment

Human systems

Resources & ecosystem services

Waste & emissions

State & TrendsIndicators




Thematic Environmental Assessments



EEA reporting, SOER 1995-2015

Integrated Environmental Assessments

Monitoring through discrete indicators

Status of EEA assessments

Environment

Human systems

Resources & ecosystem services

Waste & emissions








EEA reporting, SOER 1995-2015

Integrated Environmental Assessments

Monitoring through discrete indicators

SOER 2020 - Extended IEA more systems-oriented, resource nexus, nexi..What knowledge base?

1.Are these issues and insights of relevance? What are, or

could be, the implications for the work of the EEA and

other agencies when it comes to report about these issues?

Balance between complexity and communicability in

integrated environmental assessments;

2.What could be the implications for the future of

environmental policy and related long-term frameworks

(e.g. on synergies and trade-offs)?

Reflections and questions for the panel debate

resource nexus - eea knowledge investments for soer 2020 · eea-magic joint workshop “european...

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