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Rangelands are the most widespread land-use systems in drylands, where they often represent the only sustainable form of land-use due to the limited water availability. The intensity of the land-use of such rangeland ecosystems in drylands depends to a large extent on the climatic variability in time and space. Rangeland systems are seriously threatened by climate change, because climate change will alternate the availability of water in time and space. This dissertation therefore deals with the question which role climatic variability plays for the effects of grazing on vegetation in dry rangelands. The relatively intact steppes in central Mongolia were chosen as a model system. They are characterised by low precipitation and high climatic variability in the south (100mm annual precipitation), and comparatively high precipitation and low climatic variability in the north (250mm). The effects of grazing on vegetation on 15 grazing transects were investigated along the climatic gradient. The central elements were the plant species and their abundances on 10m x 10m areas, for which functional characteristics such as height, affiliation of functional groups or leaf nutrients were recorded. The main hypothesis of this dissertation is that grazing has a greater impact on vegetation communities with increasing rainfall. To test this hypothesis, three studies were carried out. In a first study, the research group found that the vegetation communities in the dry area differ strongly along the climatic gradient, while the plant communities in the wetter area differ more strongly along the grazing gradient. The results of the second study suggested that this difference can be explained by a functional environmental filter that becomes weaker from south to north as the niche spectrum increases. The third study has shown that this is likely a function of the higher availability of resources, which at the same time leads to higher grazing pressure, therewith stressing the vegetation especially in years with droughts. In summary, the author concludes that the climate gradient also represents an environmental filter that filters species for certain characteristics, thus having a significant influence on the vegetation. Climatic variability influences the effect of grazing on vegetation, which is particularly problematic where the grazing intensity is high and the species are less adapted to strong climatic fluctuations. Future scenarios predict increasing productivity and therefore increasing livestock density. This may lead to an increase in floristic and functional diversity across the climate gradient, but also to increasing grazing effects and therefore threads for overgrazing. Increasing climatic variability is likely to intensify this thread, especially in the moister regions, whereas the dry rangelands are likely to be more resilient due to the adaptation of the plants to non-equilibrium dynamics.
Transformative learning is increasingly set to become an essential component in sustainability transformation. Despite, little has been done to systematically explore the contribution to sustainability transformation. This learning theory developed decades ago independently of sustainability discourses; however, it provides an analytical framework for understanding the learning processes, outcomes and conditions in individual and social learning towards sustainability transformation. Against this background, the following research question arises: To which extent can transformative learning lead to sustainability transformation? This doctoral work aims to explore transformative learning processes, outcomes, and conditions occurring and advancing towards sustainability transformation of the textile-fashion industry in Mexico. Taking an exploratory approach, the methods employed were literature reviews to untangle concepts and to construct theoretical pillars to support the empirical research design and data analysis. For data collection, snowball-sampling techniques were used to explore the practice field of the textile-fashion industry in Mexico. Qualitative interviews were employed to gather data about the learning experiences of actors. Qualitative and quantitative methods were required to perform the respective data analysis, the qualitative codification of interviewees' responses. Analysis of social media content was also utilised to understand the communication and business practices of projects involved in the transformation of the textile-fashion sector. As a result, this work comprises three articles, one a systematic literature review and two empirical research articles, investigating the transformative learning processes of entrepreneurs in the development of sustainability niches. As for the findings of this doctoral work, the use of transformative learning in sustainability transformation requires a careful study of the theory and its conceptual elements. Regarding the case study, transformative learning is inherent in forming and developing sustainability niches as entrepreneurs venture into them: It is individual prior learning, expectations and actions that initiate the path of sustainability transformation while disorienting dilemmas, critical reflection, and discourse accelerate them. Through these stages, it is when individual learning turns into social learning. On the other hand, based on the multi-level perspective, the interplay between the niche, regime and landscape levels generates a space for sustainability transformation and transformative learning.
Food forests present a promising solution to address multiple sustainability challenges adaptable to local contexts. As biodiverse multi-strata agroforestry systems, they can provide several ecological, socio-cultural and economic services. They sequester carbon, limit soil erosion and regulate the micro-climate; they offer the opportunity for education on healthy diets and ecology, and they produce food and can create livelihood opportunities. However, despite their obvious benefits, food forests are still a niche concept. To date, research has focused on their ecological and social services; we lack an understanding of food forests as a comprehensive sustainability solution, including their economic dimension, and knowledge on how to develop them. Addressing these gaps, this qualitative research used a solution- and process-oriented methodology guided by transformational sustainability research. In a comparative case study approach, it created an inventory of 209 food forests, followed by interviews and site visits of 14 sites to understand their characteristics and assess their sustainability (Article 1). More indepth, it analyzed the implementation path of seven food forest for success factors, barriers and coping strategies (Article 2). Based on these insights, two experimental case studies were initiated to develop sustainable food forests with practice partners, one based in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. and one in Lüneburg, Germany. Two studies analyzed the cases' outputs and processes highlighting success factors and challenges, including the role of a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem (Article 3, Phoenix case) and key features of productive partnerships to understand why one case succeeded and the other failed (Article 4). Findings include key features of existing and sustainable food forests as well as success factors on how to develop them; namely acquiring a complementary skill set that includes specialty farming and entrepreneurial know-how, securing sufficient start-up funds and long-term land access as well as overcoming regulatory restrictions. Supporting institutions are especially needed to integrate and professionalize the planning stage and provide know-how on alternative business practices. Key features of productive partnerships include an entrepreneurial attitude, access to support functions, long-term orientation and commitment to food system sustainability.
Design methods for collaborative knowledge production in inter- and transdisciplinary research
(2022)
This dissertation seeks to better understand how design methods facilitate collaborative knowledge production and integration in inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research. Through five independent papers, this dissertation contributes to addressing the research question on four levels – conceptual-epistemological, empirical, methodological and practical. By exploring the linkages between design research and inter- and transdisciplinary research, a conceptual basis for the targeted use of design methods in collaborative processes of inter- and transdisciplinary research is laid and their spectrum of methods is expanded. This is followed by the development of a transformative epistemology in and for problem-oriented, collaborative forms of research, such as transdisciplinary sustainability research, called problematic designing. Based on a deeper understanding of integration and collaborative knowledge production, as well as its accompanying challenges, empirical research into applying design prototyping as a method in and for situations of collaborative research was conducted. To this end, the findings provide a fundamental basis for the facilitation of inter- and transdisciplinary research processes when dealing with complex problems. With its inherent openness and iterative approach in addressing the unknowns of complex phenomena, design prototyping contributes to the required form of imagination that enables to anticipate possible futures. Furthermore, by including visual-haptic modes of expression, design prototyping reduces the dominance of language and text in scientific negotiation processes and does justice to the diversity of cognitive modes. Finally, the empirical findings of this dissertation emphasise the importance of the visual-haptic dimension for collaborative knowledge production and the communication of knowledge, and provide insights into the visual structuring of human thought processes. The results on material metaphors, collaborative prototyping and material-metaphorical imagery contribute decisively to the basic knowledge of the epistemological quality of design and the importance of the visual and haptic for thought processes in general. The extension and adaptation of existing analysis methods in this dissertation add to the further development of analysis of visual-haptic data. The results are once again reflected in the synthesis of this framework paper as cross-cutting issues.
Nachhaltigkeitsziele im Sinne einer Ökologie, Ökonomie und Soziokultur lassen sich im Bauwesen auf verschiedene Instrumente zurückführen. Optimierung des Wärmeschutzes durch die Energieeinsparverordnung (Effizienz) oder Minimierung von Abfall im Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz (Suffizienz). Um jedoch eine neue Qualität der Nachhaltigkeit zu schaffen, ist ein Paradigmenwechsel notwendig. Dabei können Cradle to Cradle Prinzipien als ökoeffektive Methode angewandt werden, in dem exemplarisch die Biodiversität eingebunden, gesunde Bauprodukte verbaut und erneuerbare Energien genutzt werden. Die Natur dient als Vorbild (Konsistenz). Demnach werden Gebäude nützlich für Mensch, Umwelt und Gesellschaft umgesetzt und gleichzeitig Werte geschaffen. Für den deutschen Einzelhandel bestehen vielschichtige Potenziale, da der Gebäudebestand mit mehreren Millionen Quadratmetern bedeutend ist und die Bauwerke aufgrund von Konzeptänderungen oder Verschleiß der Ladenflächen regelmäßig umgebaut werden. Die Forschung beginnt mit einer Bestandsaufnahme von Cradle to Cradle Bauprodukten und Analyse eines real umgesetzten Einkaufszentrums. Um Einflussfaktoren von Stakeholdern zu identifizieren, wurden qualitative Experteninterviews mit ausgewählten Projektbeteiligten aus Bauherrn, Betreibern, Beratern, Mietparteien und Herstellern durchgeführt. Im Rahmen des Forschungsvorhabens wurde untersucht, inwieweit sich Bauprodukte aus der Gebäudeplanung in wissenschaftlicher Theorie und praktischer Bauwirtschaft umsetzen lassen, Geschäftsmodelle anwendbar sind, Trends und Innovationen im Zusammenhang stehen oder Änderungen in Politik oder Wirtschaft notwendig sind. Im Ergebnis wurden Maßnahmen für eine neue Qualität der Nachhaltigkeit bei Einzelhandelsgebäuden identifiziert. Exemplarisch wird anhand der Interviews deutlich, dass neben einem staatlichen Umweltzeichen oder einer Green Building Planungsdisziplin, insbesondere die Ökonomie in Form von Investitions- und Betriebskosten den größten Stellenwert besitzt. Es braucht einen staatlichen Regulierungsrahmen und neue Geschäftsmodelle, damit nachhaltige Bauprodukte wirtschaftlich werden und durch Stakeholder in den Prozessen der Planung, Bauausführung und dem Betrieb berücksichtigt werden.
Undertaking local actions, such as implementing public (sustainability) policy, plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development (SD) at the municipal level. In this regard, indicator-based assessment supports effective implementation by measuring the SD process, based upon evidence-based outcomes that indicators produce. Over the last decade, using subjective indicators, which rely on an individual's self-perception to measure subjects, has gained its significance in sustainability assessment, in line with the increasing importance of signifying individual's and community's well-being (WB) in the context of SD. This study aims to discuss and clarify the scope and functions of subjective sustainable development indicators (SDIs) conceptually and theoretically while examining the usability of such indicators employed in the practice of assessing sustainability policy and action process in a Japanese municipality. Furthermore, the potential usability of using subjective SDIs in monitoring a municipal initiative of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also explanatorily examined. The present paper consists of a framework paper and three individual studies. In the framework paper, Section 1 introduces the global transition of SD discourse and the role that local authorities and implementing public policy play in achieving SD while outlining how WB positions in the SD context. Section 2 provides a brief overview of the major scope of overall SDIs at the conceptual and theoretical levels. Section 3 defines WB in the study's own right while exploring the scope of indicators measuring WB. In addition, this study strives to further clarify the peculiar scope of SDIs, measuring WB by synthesising the findings. Section 4 overviews how SD at the municipal level in Japan is practiced while acknowledging the extent to which residents perceive WB and SDGs in policymaking. Section 5 provides a brief yet extensive summary of the three individual studies. Section 6 discusses the findings while presenting implications for further study and practices of subjective SDIs. Furthermore, the three individual studies provide a thorough and in-depth discussion of the study subject. Study 1 illustrates the SD trend at the municipal level in Japan and the growing recognition of using subjective SDIs in public (sustainability) policy assessment in exploring comparative SDI systems to municipality groups. The findings, in turn, raise the need for a further study on subjective SDIs. Study 2 extensively discusses the concept of WB as the overarching subject to be measured while examining varying approaches and scopes of SDIs. It identifies three differentiated WB (i.e., material and social objective WB as well as subjective WB) and distinctive approaches of subjective SDIs (i.e., expert-led and citizen-based approaches) alongside objective SDIs. The findings suggest that these SDIs identified are, conceptually, most capable of measuring associated WB; for instance, citizen-based subjective SDIs can most optimally measure subjective WB. Finally, Study 3 examines the usability of (citizen-based) subjective SDIs in a practice of assessing public policy, aiming at municipal SD, and the potential usability of using such indicators in monitoring a municipal SDG initiative. The findings highlight the determinants and obstacles of using subjective SDIs as well as signifying WB in measuring progress of a municipal SD practice.
Companies increasingly use social and environmental accounting and reporting (SEAR) to measure, manage, and report their influence on ecological and social issues, i.e., climate change and human rights violations. Nowadays, there are many different tools, frameworks, and standards for SEAR that companies can use. Beyond the content presented in the tool itself, e.g., social and/or ecological information, these tools differ, among others, by the language used and the type of data collected (e.g., qualitative, quantitative, or monetary data). This dissertation aims to expand previous literature by clarifying the effects of SEAR on corporate decision-making and its influencing factors. Additionally, antecedents for implementation and use of SEAR in regard to supporting sustainability decision-making are discussed. For this purpose, the given dissertation investigates public sustainability reports by companies with different environmental orientation, conducts two survey-based case studies on the effects of different types of SEAR and one qualitative case study on the antecedents of institutionalizing management accounting change through SEAR. The results lead to seven criteria that practitioners and researchers should recognize for supporting successful SEAR regarding a company's environmental orientation, the role of employees and leadership as well as the specific SEAR tool itself.
The global coffee market is connected to many sustainability issues like the persisting poverty of coffee farmers, and degrading ecosystems. Many interventions, from state-led regulation to industry-led certification processes, exist, that try to change global value chains to shift societies back on more sustainable trajectories. To this date, it is still under debate if these interventions are an effective means to change global value chains. With climate change and persisting issues of social justice as strong accelerators, calls are increasingly made for a radical transformation of global production and consumption patterns. Many frameworks try to inform research and real-world policies for a transformation of global value chains. In this dissertation, the author uses the framework of the practical, political and personal sphere proposed by O'Brien and Sygna (2013) highlighting that the interactions between these three spheres bare the greatest potential for a transformation towards sustainability. However, in this dissertation, the author argues that it is exactly at the nexus between the three spheres of transformation where barriers towards a fundamental shift of systems occur. He, therefore, uses three perspectives to bring empirical nuance to the problems that arise on the interplay between the different spheres of transformation. (1) The scientific perspective: using a systematic review of alternative trade arrangements; (2) the producer perspective: facilitating a participatory network analysis of social-ecological challenges of Ugandan coffee farmers and their adaptive management practices; (3) the consumer perspective: through the use of a German consumer survey and a structural equation model to investigate into the Knowledge-Doing-Gap end-consumers are facing. Through the results from the scientific perspective, the author is able to show that most of the research is investigating the certified market and that the effectiveness of labels rarely exceeding the practical sphere. His empirical research on the producer perspective highlights that Ugandan coffee farmers facilitate a variety of on-farm crop management (practical sphere) but their support structures rarely exceed informal exchange with neighboring communities (political sphere). Exchange with governmental actors and global traders is happening but has been assessed as not sufficient to cope with the social-ecological challenges the producers are facing. Through the results of the consumer perspective, the author is able to highlight that even though end-consumers have pro-sustainable attitudes (personal sphere) they are facing situational constraints (political sphere) that create a gap between their attitudes and the respective behavior. Using these empirical insights about drivers and barriers for a transformation he proposes that frameworks, aiming to inform research and policies, need to include two aspects: (1) the notion of a forced transformation; and (2) the translational capacity of the frameworks to create meaningful interdisciplinary discourses in different contexts. The author, therefore, propose two approaches:(1) a fourth sphere, called the "planetary force" to include the notion of a forced transformation that is already happening in different contexts, highlighted by the producer perspective in this dissertation; and (2) the consequent use of methods that create interdisciplinary exchange and rigorous testing.
Assessment of forest functionality and the effectiveness of forest management and certification
(2021)
Forest ecosystems are complex systems that develop inherent structures and processes relevant for their functioning and the provisioning of ecosystem services that contribute to human wellbeing. With increasing climate change impacts, especially regulating ecosystem services such as microclimate regulation are ever more relevant to maintain forest functions and services. A key question is how forest management supports or undermines the ecosystems’ capacity to maintain those functions and services. The main objective of this thesis is the development of a concept to assess the functionality of forests and to evaluate the effectiveness of forest ecosystem management including certification. An ecosystem-based and participatory methodology, named ECOSEFFECT, was developed. The method comprises a theoretical and an empirical plausibility analysis. It was applied to the Russian National FSC Standard in the Arkhangelsk Region of the Russian Federation - where boreal forests are exploited to meet Europe's demand for timber. In addition, the influence of forestry interventions on temperature regulation in Scots pine and European beech forests in Germany was assessed during two extreme hot and dry years in 2018 and 2019. Microclimate regulation is a suitable proxy for forest functionality and can be applied easily to evaluate the effectiveness of forest management in safeguarding regulating forest functions relevant under climate change. Thus, the assessment of forest microclimate regulation serves as convenient tool to illustrate forest functionality. In the boreal and temperate forests studied in the frame of this thesis, timber harvesting reduced the capacity to self-regulate forests’ microclimate and thus impair a crucial part of ecosystem functionality. Changes in structural forest characteristics influenced by forest management and silviculture significantly affect microclimatic conditions and therefore forest ecosystems' vulnerability to climate change. Canopy coverage and the number of cut trees were most relevant for cooling maximum summer temperature in pine and beech forests in northern Germany. The Russian FSC standard has the potential to improve forest management and ecological outcomes, but there are shortcomings in the precision of targeting actual problems and ecological commitment. It is theoretically plausible that FSC prevents logging in high conservation value forests and intact forest landscapes, reduces the size and number of clearcuts, and prevents hydrological changes in the landscape. However, the standard was not sufficiently explicit and compulsory to generate a strong and positive influence on the identified problems and their drivers. Moreover, spatial data revealed, that the typical regular clearcut patterns of conventional timber harvesting continue to progress into the FSC-certified boreal forests, also if declared as "Intact Forest Landscape". This results in the need to verify the assumptions and postulates on the ground as it remains unclear and questionable if functions and services of boreal forests are maintained when FSC-certified clearcutting continues.The analysis of satellite-based data on tree cover loss showed that clearcutting causes secondary dieback in the surrounding of the cleared area. FSC-certification does not prevent the various negative impacts of clearcutting and thus fails to safeguard ecosystem functions. The postulated success in reducing identified environmental threats and stresses, e. g. through a smaller size of clearcuts, could not be verified on site. The empirical assessment does not support the hypothesis of effective improvements in the ecosystem. In practice, FSC-certification did not contribute to change clearcutting practices sufficiently to effectively improve the ecological performance. Sustainability standards that are unable to translate principles into effective outcomes fail in meeting the intended objectives of safeguarding ecosystem functioning. Clearcuts that carry sustainability labels are ecologically problematic and ineffective for the intended purpose of ecological sustainability.The overexploitation of provisioning services, i.e. timber extraction, diminishes the ecosystems' capacity to maintain other services of global significance. It also impairs ecosystem functions relevant to cope with and adapt to other stresses and disturbances that are rapidly increasing under climate change.
Global environmental changes and the subsequent biodiversity loss has raised concerns over the consequences for the functioning of ecosystems and human well-being. This thesis provides new mechanistic insights into the role of tree diversity in regulating forest productivity and forests’ responses to climate change. The thesis also addresses the overlooked functional role of ecological continuity in mediating ecosystem processes in the context of multiple global environmental changes. The findings of the thesis emphasize the need to retain the functional integrity of forest ecosystem by preserving biodiversity and acknowledging the ecological memory forests.
Die vorliegende Dissertationsschrift analysiert die Konstruktion schützenswerter "Natur/en" in Gebieten "neuer Wildnis" aus Perspektiven der Sozialen Ökologie sowie der Geschlechterforschung. Das zentrale Erkenntnisinteresse zielt auf den Umgang mit und die Zuschreibungen auf Neobiota in Gebieten "neuer Wildnis". Ziel ist es, herauszuarbeiten, wie in der Konstruktion "fremder Natur/en" in "neuer Wildnis" gesellschaftliche Naturverhältnisse und Geschlechterverhältnisse wechselseitig miteinander verwoben sind und inwiefern in dieser Vermittlung dichotome und hierarchisierende Trennungen wirksam werden. Die empirische Basis der Untersuchung bilden zwei Literaturreviews sowie eine qualitative Interviewstudie zu Naturverständnissen in zwei Untersuchungsgebieten "neuer Wildnis". Dabei werden Neobiota als Ausdruck gesellschaftlicher Naturverhältnisse analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Neobiota in "neuer Wildnis" einerseits als Bestandteil dynamischer Naturentwicklung und schützenswerter Prozesse akzeptiert und nicht (mehr) aufgrund ihrer "Fremdheit" abgewertet werden. "Neue Wildnisse" können mithin als sozial-ökologische Vermittlungsräume gelesen werden, in denen sich die Konstruktion des Schützenswerten verschiebt und hierarchisierende Trennungen abgebaut werden. Andererseits werden Neobiota in Gebieten "neuer Wildnis" oftmals aufgrund ihrer "Ungezähmtheit" und Unkontrollierbarkeit von Eingriffen und Pflegemaßnahmen zur (Wieder-)Aneignung von Kontrolle über "fremde Natur/en". Die potentielle Beherrschbarkeit von Natur bleibt mithin auch in Gebieten "neuer Wildnis" grundlegende Voraussetzung für ihre Schutzwürdigkeit. Damit festigen sich in den Zuschreibungen auf Neobiota hierarchisierende Trennungen und reproduzieren die Konstruktion von "Natur" und "Weiblichkeit" als sich gegenseitig stabilisierendes Unterordnungsverhältnis.
Siliziumorganische Substanzen sind aus dem Alltag kaum wegzudenken. Sie kommen in vielfältiger Form vor und finden durch ihre Stabilität in vielen Produkten des Haushalts und der Industrie Anwendung. Eine Freisetzung in die Umwelt ist unvermeidbar. Siliziumorganische Substanzen konnten bereits in allen Umweltkompartimenten (Luft, Wasser, Boden) analytisch nachgewiesen werden. Welche Risiken von dieser Stoffgruppe ausgehen, ist noch nicht abschließend geklärt. Dennoch gibt es Hinweise auf negative Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt. Deshalb sollten Strukturen in siliziumorganischen Substanzen untersucht werden, die einen Abbau in der Umwelt begünstigen, um die Akkumulation dieser Stoffe in der Umwelt zu verringern. Dafür wurden diverse biotische und abiotische Abbautests mit unterschiedlichen siliziumorganischen Substanzen durchgeführt. Der Fokus der vorliegenden Arbeit lag vor allem in der biologischen Abbaubarkeit der Substanzen. Es wurden die Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)-konformen Tests Closed-Bottle-Test (CBT, OECD 301D) und Manometrischer Respirationstest (MRT, OECD 301F) durchgeführt. Die Hydrolysierbarkeit wurde mithilfe des Hydrolysetests OECD 111 bei unterschiedlichen pH-Werten untersucht. Bei bestimmten Substanzgruppen ohne biologischen Abbau wurde das Verhalten der Substanzen bei Bestrahlung mit verschiedenen Bestrahlungsquellen untersucht. Die Analyse der Primärelimination der siliziumorganischen Substanzen erfolgte je nach Substanzeigenschaften mithilfe der Hochleistungsflüssigkeitschromatografie gekoppelt mit einem Spektrometer mit ultraviolettem und sichtbarem Licht (HPLC-UV/Vis) oder der Gaschromatografie gekoppelt mit einem Massenspektrometer (GC-MS). Die Transformationsprodukte wurden hingegen mithilfe der Flüssigkeitschromatografie gekoppelt mit einem Mehrfach-Massenspektrometer (LC-MSn) analysiert. Für eine umfassende Bewertung des biologischen Abbaus von siliziumorganischen Substanzen wurden ein Vergleich mit analogen Kohlenstoffverbindungen und eine Aufstockung mit Daten aus der Datenbank der Europäischen Chemikalien Agentur (ECHA) durchgeführt. Die Gruppierung der Substanzen nach ihren Strukturmerkmalen wurde hinzugezogen, um Rückschlüsse auf die Abbaubarkeit zu ziehen. Eine besser biologisch abbaubare Grundstruktur brachte für die Benzenderivate keine Verbesserung der biologischen Abbaubarkeit. Dennoch hatte die Einführung von +M-Gruppen am Aromaten einen positiven Einfluss auf die Geschwindigkeit und den Grad des photolytischen Abbaus. Die Bestrahlungsquelle hatte ebenfalls einen deutlichen Einfluss auf die Eliminierungsrate während des Photolyseexperiments. Mit einer Veränderung der Wellenlängen in den kurzwelligen Bereich und der daraus resultierenden energiereicheren Strahlung konnten die Substanzen schneller und teilweise vollständig primär eliminiert werden. Bei allen Abbaupfaden hatte die Hydrolyse eine entscheidende Rolle und wurde als einer der Hauptabbauprozesse charakterisiert. Bei einer Verbindung wurde im Nachgang an die biotischen und abiotischen Abbautests eine ausführliche Aufklärung der elf gebildeten Transformationsprodukte vorgenommen. Um den Einfluss von Silizium in organischen Substanzen auf die biologische Abbaubarkeit zu untersuchen, wurde der direkte Vergleich von siliziumorganischen Substanzen und deren Kohlenstoffanaloga im CBT durchgeführt. Dabei hat sich gezeigt, dass drei von fünf Kohlenstoffverbindungen und keine siliziumorganische Verbindung als leicht biologisch abbaubar eingestuft werden konnten. In allen bis auf einen Fall konnten für die Kohlenstoffverbindungen höhere Abbauraten im CBT beobachtet werden. Die Hydrolyse wurde als erforderlicher Schritt vor dem biologischen Abbau von siliziumorganischen Substanzen identifiziert. Das siliziumfreie Produkt der Hydrolyse bestimmte den Grad des biologischen Abbaus. Die gute biologische Abbaubarkeit der einen siliziumorganischen Verbindung resultierte aus der leicht hydrolysierbaren Silizium-Stickstoff-Bindung und der leichten biologischen Abbaubarkeit des siliziumfreien Hydrolyseproduktes. Die siliziumhaltigen Reaktionsprodukte der Hydrolyse waren nicht biologisch abbaubar. Bioabbaudaten aus eigenen Experimenten, aus vorhergehenden in der Arbeitsgruppe durchgeführten analogen Arbeiten und aus der ECHA-Datenbank wurden zusammengetragen, um einen Datensatz zu generieren. Die 182 Substanzen des Datensatzes wurden hinsichtlich ihrer Struktur gruppiert, um allgemeine Erkenntnisse für die biologische Abbaubarkeit von siliziumorganischen Verbindungen abzuleiten. Es gab Gruppen mit Substanzen, die überhaupt nicht biologisch abbaubar waren (z. B. zyklische, lineare und verzweigte Siloxane). Gruppen, die Substanzen mit Ethern, Estern, Oximen, Aminen und Amiden enthielten, waren hydrolyseanfällig, sodass auch leicht biologisch abbaubare Zwischenprodukte gebildet werden konnten. Die siliziumfreien Hydrolyseprodukte waren meist biologisch abbaubar, während die siliziumhaltigen Hydrolyseprodukte persistent waren. Allgemein hat sich gezeigt, dass Modifikationen am Molekül einen positiven Einfluss auf die Abbaubarkeit haben können. Beispielsweise können Heteroatome eine Veränderung der Polarität bzw. der Elektronendichte hervorrufen, was die Photolyse- und Hydrolysefähigkeit und folglich auch den Bioabbau zum Positiven verändern kann. Das Einführen solcher Heteroatome oder funktioneller Gruppen in Polysiloxanketten kann demnach ein vielversprechender Ansatz für leichter abbaubare siliziumorganische Verbindungen sein. Nicht abbaubare Stoffe sollten vermieden werden, wenn sie nach ihrer Verwendung in die Umwelt gelangen.
This cumulative dissertation investigates food policy councils (FPCs) as potential levers for sustainability transformation. The four research papers included here on this recent phenomenon in Germany present new insights regarding the process of FPCs' emergence (Emergence paper), the legal conditions which affect their establishment (Legal paper), the different roles of FPCs in policy-making processes (Roles paper) and FPCs' potential to democratise the food system (Food democracy paper). Drawing on and contextualizing the results of the four individual studies, the framework paper uses the leverage points concept originally developed by Meadows (1999) and adopted by Abson et al. (2016) as a lens to discuss FPCs’ potential as levers for sustainability transformation. This conceptual background includes three so-called realms of leverage, which are considered to be of particular importance in transformational, solution-oriented sustainability science: first, the change, stability and learning in institutions (re-structure), second, the interactions between people and nature (re-connect) and third, the ways in which knowledge is produced and used (re-think). Framing the findings of the four research papers in terms of these three realms, the framework paper shows that FPCs could serve as cross realm levers, i.e. as interventions that simultaneously address knowledge production, institutional reform and human-nature interactions.
This dissertation addresses the question of how sustainability curricula can be implemented and established in higher education institutions. Universities – as hubs for knowledge generation, innovation, and education – provide a central leverage point for sustainably developing society at large. Therefore, the institutionalization of sustainability curricula is not only socially demanded, but also stipulated in numerous political statements from the international community (e.g., those of the UN and UNESCO) and operationalized via Sustainable Development Goal No. 4: "Quality Education". Previous findings on how such implementation can be successful and what factors support or inhibit the process have come primarily through case studies of individual higher education institutions. These studies have been largely descriptive rather than analytical and leave open questions about the generalizability of their findings. The present dissertation addresses this research gap. Through a meta-study (i.e., an analytical comparison of existing case studies), generalizable findings on the implementation processes of sustainability curricula are explored. In the first step, a case universe was collected in order to provide a database for deeper analyses. In two further analysis steps that built on the case universe from Step 1, certain factors that promote or inhibit the implementation of sustainability curricula (Step 2) and specific implementation patterns (Step 3) were examined. The presented findings add a complementary empirical perspective to the discourse on the establishment of education for sustainable development (ESD) at higher education institutions. First, the case studies that specifically address the implementation processes of sustainability curricula are reviewed and analyzed here for the first time as part of a research landscape. This research landscape reveals where research on such implementation processes has been or is being conducted. On this basis, both researchers and funders can reflect on the status quo and plan further research or funding endeavors. Second, this dissertation offers the opportunity to compare a multitude of individual case studies and thus to develop new and generalizable insights into the implementation of sustainability curricula. The empirical analysis uses 133 case studies to identify key factors that promote or inhibit the implementation of sustainability curricula and to add a complementary perspective to the discourse, which has thus far been dominated by theoretical considerations and individual case studies. The analysis thereby offers a new perspective on generalizable influencing factors that appear to be important across different contexts. Thus far, specific patterns of implementation processes have been infrequently studied, and with few datasets. This dissertation analyzes the complex interplay between over 100 variables and provides one of the first research attempts at better understanding the processes that lead to the deep-rooted and comprehensive implementation of sustainability curricula. Internal and external practitioners of higher education institutions can find examples and evidence that can be useful in planning the next steps of their sustainability curriculum implementation. This dissertation offers generalizable empirical findings on how universities can succeed in recognizing their own responsibility to that end and in realizing this transformation through the implementation of ESD.
TIME for REFL-ACTION: Interpersonal Competence Development in Project-based Sustainability Courses
(2021)
This dissertation investigates interpersonal competence development in project-based sustainability courses. Visions of a sustainable, safe, and just future cannot be reached by one individual alone. Thus, future change agents need to be able to collaborate and engage with stakeholders, to approach the manifold crises, challenges, problems, and conflicts we are facing together, and to promote and push forward sustainability transitions and transformations. Therefore, this research investigates three project-based sustainability graduate courses by comparing and contrasting teaching and learning outcomes, processes, and environments. A comparative case study approach using a Grounded Theory-inspired research design which triangulates several qualitative methods and perspectives is applied to allow for generalizable insights. Thereby, this dissertation provides empirically-informed insights which are further discussed in relation to selected teaching and learning theories. This leads, first, to a discussion of practical implications within (and beyond) sustainability higher education; and second, provides a theoretical foundation for interpersonal competence development in project-based learning settings – so that educating future change agents can gain momentum. Findings of this research show that embracing conflicts when they occur (i.e. before they provoke cascading effects in the form of further conflicts down-the-road) is an effective strategy to help further develop interpersonal competence. This requires a conflict-embracing attitude. Attitude, in general, seems to be key in interpersonal competence and competence development overall. Self-reflection, if not explicitly required by outside influences (such as instructors), arises naturally from a self-reflective attitude, and is shown to provide the basis for developing interpersonal competence. This research introduces the term "Refl-Action" which stresses the importance of pairing "learning by doing" (as is often the focus in project-based learning settings) with conscious moments of "reflecting about the doing". More specifically, the research presented here identified four learning processes for interpersonal competence development: receiving input, experiencing, reflecting, and experimenting. Based on the empirical data, when the four processes are purposefully combined, following a meaningful sequence attitudes, knowledge, and skills in collaborative teamwork and impactful stakeholder engagement, are fostered (two facets of interpersonal competence). Each of the four learning processes is set in motion through various interactions students engage in during project-based sustainability courses: student-student (labeled "peer"), student-instructor (labeled "deliberate"), student-stakeholder (labeled "professional"), and student-mentor (labeled "supportive") interactions. When these interactions are made explicit subjects of inquiry - i.e. the (inter-)action is linked with (self-)reflection – different learning processes complement one another: Interpersonal competence facets (collaborative teamwork and impactful stakeholder engagement) and domains (attitudes, knowledge, skills) are fostered. While, overall, interactions, processes, and conflicts have been identified as supportive for interpersonal competence development, trust has emerged as another variable inviting further investigation.
Since the early 2000s, ecosystem services strongly gained significance as a research topic. However, the temporal dimension of ecosystem services has not been taken into consideration, although this should be the basis for a sustainable long-term management of ecosystems and their services. Therefore, the author presents three articles in this thesis that deal with temporal aspects of ecosystem services. In two of them she also present a proposal for a framework for the classification of ecosystem services based on their temporal dynamics. In this dissertation she differentiates between two types of temporal aspects, both of which have in common that change takes place over a certain period of time. The concepts of transformation, transition and regime shift are used to describe changes in social or ecological systems as a whole, for example the transformation towards a more sustainable society. The temporal dynamics, on the other hand, relate to the temporal changes in ecosystem services themselves. The first article focuses on how the literature on ecosystem services incorporates social and ecological change. The second and third articles deal with the temporal dynamics of ecosystem services. While the second article presents a preliminary framework for categorizing the temporal dynamics of ecosystem services, the third article uses this framework to test how the temporal dynamics of ecosystem services are represented in the literature. Based on the insights from the three articles, the author concludes that most of the studies on ecosystem services only focus on one point in time. One reason for this is that most studies are conducted over a maximum of a four-year time span which does not allow to monitor dynamics over longer time spans.
Misophonia in the workplace
(2021)
This paper uses the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals’ inclusion of human well-being and disability rights as a base to examine the work experiences of individuals with the syndrome misophonia who have been employed in white-collar office jobs in the Global North, and how these experiences fit into the current discourse on making offices more inclusive and sustainable. It reports on common workplace triggers, coping mechanisms, and the condition’s perceived effects on misophonics, as well as the perceived barriers and carriers to making workplaces more accommodating to those with the condition. A mixed-methods approach was used to address these points. First, a survey was distributed virtually and 203 responses from misophonics who work(ed) in white-collar office jobs in the study region were collected. Next, ten of these survey takers participated in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, which were then analyzed using qualitative text analysis. The results showed that many misophonics frequently encounter intense triggers (such as mouth sounds) at the office and that self-perceived levels of productivity, well-being, and workplace sociability can be adversely affected. Though opinions on bans of certain behaviors and items and on certain terminology were diverse, there was consensus on desiring more flexible policies, understanding from others, and quiet or private working spaces, including working from home. Lack of misophonia awareness within the general populace, human resources (HR), upper management, and to some degree, the medical community was identified as a persistent barrier to misophonic employees disclosing or asking for reasonable accommodations even when they felt their misophonia was severe, negatively affected them, and there were provisions that could support them. These experiences were similar to those of other invisible conditions and pointed to the need for workplaces striving to be more sustainable and inclusive to adapt their policies and office design decisions.
Transforming the International Food Supply – Sustainable Practices in Small Intermediary Businesses
(2021)
The global food system faces many complex challenges, and there is general agreement that a transformation is needed. While localizing food has been proposed as a means to this end, changing global food supply chains may also lead to sustainable food systems. Because most food systems today have an international dimension and are likely to remain connected, on one way or another, to other ones across the globe, it is necessary to find solutions to problems such as exploitation or environmental degradation. Addressing this challenge and the related gap in the literature, this study examines the emerging practices of small intermediary food businesses, which act between agricultural producers and consumers, and may have the potential to advance sustainability in international food supply. Including a systematic review of the literature on food systems change (Study#1), this dissertation adopts a transformational sustainability research methodology, which is solution-oriented, aims to integrate system, target and transformation knowledge, and is characterized by a transdisciplinary research practice. It conceptualizes challenges of international food supply and empirically investigates entrepreneurial solution approaches to address these challenges (Study#2). Two transdisciplinary research projects with small coffee businesses located in Germany, Mexico, and the U.S. were conducted to examine how these approaches could be implemented (Study#3, Study#4, Workshop reports 1+2). Overall, this study shows that challenges in international food supply chains can be conceptualized as negative effects of large geographical and relational distances. It also identifies five entrepreneurial solution approaches specified by twelve sustainability-oriented design principles to address these negative effects. Creating relational proximity between supply chain actors, that is, strong relationships based on knowledge and care, seems to be a key factor to advance sustainability in international food supply.The results also suggest that by building such strong relationships and changing the fundamental principles of international food trade, small intermediary businesses could be important agents in food system transformations.
Pestizide werden als Pflanzenschutzmittel im landwirtschaftlichen Bereich und als Biozide z. B. in der Industrie, in Haushalten und Kommunen eingesetzt. Bereits auf den behandelten Flächen und in den angrenzenden Gewässern können Pestizide Abbauprozessen durch u. a. Photolyse unterliegen. Diese Prozesse führen zur Entstehung von Transformationsprodukten (TP), deren Berücksichtigung bei der Umweltrisikobewertung für ein umfassendes Risikomanagement von großer Bedeutung ist. Doch gibt es über die in der Umwelt vorkommenden Transformationsprozesse und die dabei entstehenden TP immer noch Wissenslücken. Darüber hinaus sind die Eintragswege von TP, vor allem von Biozid-TP, in die angrenzenden Gewässer zum Teil unbekannt. Da eine Vielzahl von TP mit unterschiedlich starken ökotoxikologischen Effekten bewertet werden muss, besteht ein großer Bedarf an schnellen und umfassenden Methoden, um die stetig wachsende Anzahl an Chemikalien auf dem Markt erfassen zu können. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist daher, das Verhalten und den Verbleib ausgewählter Pestizid-TP in der aquatischen Umwelt zu analysieren. Zu diesem Zweck wurden unterschiedliche Phototransformationsprozesse von Pestiziden sowie der Eintrag aus Fassaden über Regenwasserversickerungsanlagen (RVA) in angrenzenden Gewässern der Stadt Freiburg untersucht. Schlussendlich erfolgte die Identifizierung der ökotoxikologischen Eigenschaften von 45 Pestizid-TP in einem mehrstufigen Ansatz durch die Kombination experimenteller und computerbasierter Methoden. Inwiefern unterschiedliche Phototransformationsprozesse zu unterschiedlichen TP führen, wurde im ersten Teil der Arbeit durch einen Vergleich der Entstehung von TP durch direkte und indirekte Photolyse der Substanzen Penconazol, Terbutryn und Mecoprop untersucht. Weiterhin wurde der Abbau durch die Bestrahlung mit unterschiedlichen Xenonlampen untersucht. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurde der Eintrag von Bioziden, die in Fassadenanstrichen Anwendung finden, und deren TP über Regenwasserversickerungsanlagen in das Grundwasser untersucht. Dabei wurden qualitative und quantitative Target-Screening-Methoden zum Nachweis und zur Quantifizierung bekannter und unbekannter TP der Biozide Diuron, Terbutryn und Octhilinon (OIT) in der aquatischen Umwelt mittels Flüssigkeitschromatographie mit gekoppeltem Massenspektrometer (LC-MS) kombiniert. Die ökotoxikologischen Eigenschaften von 45 Pestizid-TP wurden im dritten Teil dieser Arbeit in einem mehrstufigen Ansatz untersucht. Insgesamt zeigte sich, dass die Berücksichtigung von TP im Rahmen von Gewässerüberwachung und Risikobewertung eine genauere Abschätzung der Risiken durch Schadstoffe ermöglicht. Die in dieser Dissertation entwickelte Vorgehensweise, bei der TP zunächst im Labor erzeugt und bewertet und anschließend in aquatischen Systemen gezielt analysiert werden, kann einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Regulatorik des Einsatzes und der Zulassung von Pestiziden leisten.
One of the Colombian strategies to diversify and decarbonize the energy sector is encouraging the use of non-conventional renewable resources (NCRR). This thesis measures the environmental rebound effect (ERE) when increasing the shares of wind power into the Colombian power grid in the residential (household) sector. For doing so, a process-based Life Cycle Assessment (P-LCA), an environmental extended input output (EEIO) model and re-spending models (almost ideal demand system AIDS) were applied. Direct rebound effect was measured thought the elasticity price of the electricity demand; furthermore, the environmental savings for increasing the shares of wind power into the grid were calculated via P-LCA. For doing so, a P-LCA for a wind farm in Colombia was performed, whereas the information for other energy resources (Hydro, Coal, Gas, Solar and Thermal) where collected from Ecoinvent 3.4 database. To calculate the environmental indirect rebound effect the monetary savings obtained for the environmental efficiency were calculated. For doing so, an AIDS was applied to obtain the marginal budget shares (MBS). Combining the MBS obtained with the EEIO model the monetary savings were translated into environmental indicators. The ERE is presented for ten impact categories (climate change (CC), acidification (A), ecotoxicity (E), marine eutrophication (MEUT), terrestrial eutrophication (TEUT), carcinogenic effects (CE), non-carcinogenic effects (NCE), ozone layer depletion (OD), photochemical ozone creation (POC), and respiratory effects, inorganics (RES)). Moreover, a sensitive analysis was conducted to measure the variability of the ERE to different values of the direct rebound effect and different percentages of price efficiency. The results show that the inclusion of the environmental rebound effect has generally a non-negligible impact on the overall environmental indicators across all studied years. Such impacts ranging across impact categories from 5% (eutrophication) and 6,109% (photochemical oxidant creation) for the combined model, whereas for the single model the values fall on the ranges of 1% (eutrophication) and 9,277% (photochemical oxidant creation). Further, a sensitivity analysis of the elasticity price of the electricity and the price of the electricity reveals that the ERE varies in different ways, specifically, changes in these parameters could vary the impacts, respectively, by up to about <1% and 38%. Backfire effects are present for 8 of the 10 environmental impacts studied in different magnitudes across the years, depending meanly of the savings available to re-invest.