The circular economy model has been proposed as a possible strategy for sustainable development in urban areas, implying that its core principles need to be cascaded down to various sectors, including the energy sector. District heating and cooling systems have great potential to enhance circularity on an urban level due to the establishment of synergies between different sectors, the incorporation of renewable energy sources and high efficiency. Indicator-based frameworks are valuable tools for monitoring the transition toward a circular economy. However, no framework to assess circularity in district heating and cooling systems was found. Thus, this study addresses this gap by reviewing currently available indicators used to assess district heating and cooling systems and understanding to what extent they reflect circular economy principles. For this purpose, 27 papers with 271 indicators were assessed against defined criteria related to the circular economy principles. These criteria included transparency, stakeholder engagement, effective communication, ability to track temporal changes, applicability, alignment with circular economy principles, validity and relevance to sustainable development. Afterwards, 89 indicators were selected and classified based on the 10R principle framework. The assessment revealed that the assessed papers cover a wide range of topics and assessment types and that none of the assessed papers fulfils all of the assessment criteria. Moreover, most of the identified indicators connect to the environmental and economic pillars of sustainable development, and the identified indicators focus primarily on the R principles of Reduce and Recover. This study laid the foundation for further research on the relationship between district heating and cooling systems and the circular economy by identifying the understudied areas and highlighting the need to develop tailored indicators to measure circularity in these systems.

The challenges posed by climate change are a threat to human well-being as well as to natural ecosystems, but researchers indicate that awareness of and concern about climate change varies considerably. In this thesis, we investigate the socio-demographic factors associated with the perception of climate change, analysing four data sets collected from four surveys on urban middle-income households in Mexico. Our empirical strategy relies on the estimation of logit regressions on a binary variable defining whether respondents consider climate change as an important issue. Results indicate that age, gender, education, employment status, household size, and having in the household a member with a respiratory illness are important predictors that shape Mexicans’ perception of how important climate change is. It is important to know the determinants that effect climate change perception in order to develop sustainable policies to mitigate the risks of climate change.

The Paris Agreement aims to limit the global temperature to below 2°C above the pre-industrial level. In order to achieve this target, almost 200 countries committed to Nationally Determined Contributions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Diverse strategies are applied to achieve the necessary emissions reductions. One such strategy is large-scale renewable energy deployment. Certain key minerals are needed to produce green technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines. This thesis is concerned with the minerals cobalt, lithium and rare earths which are key components of lithium-ion batteries and/or permanent magnets used in many green technology applications. The academic community is aware that these critical materials are largely found in fragile and undemocratic states. The question is how the energy transition may be impacted by the fragile state of critical mineral producing countries. Therefore, this thesis aimed to investigate the supply and geopolitical risks on the critical materials market in the short- and medium-term. An analysis of the markets and a projection of their future development were conducted through maximum depletion rate modelling, the calculation Herfindahl-Hirschman indexes and risk-weighting country index scores. The results showed that the mineral markets are projected to remain highly concentrated which points to a continued vulnerability to risks emanating from individual production countries. The study found that the kinds of risk categories impacting a market depend on the distribution of market shares among countries. As production constraints arise in individual countries, the risk portfolio of the market changes. The study also concluded that countries like China that invest in mining projects abroad can contribute to the risks of a mineral that they are not producing themselves.

This thesis researches the power dynamics related to the intrinsic relationship between the expansion of avocado plantations and its effects on the water system in Chile's municipalities of Quillota, La Cruz, and La Calera. The study adopts a mixed methodology. Stakeholders involved in the water framework were interviewed through online interviews. To support and backup the interviews’ findings, a Supervised Classification through the QGIS program was performed to analyse spatial patterns of the avocado plantations in the study area. Concepts related to power and power sustained by the political ecology theory form the theoretical framework that supported the analysis. In particular, the notions of water governance and water scarcity; on the other side, Antonio Gramsci’s concepts of power, hegemony, and ideology were adopted. The case study identified the neoliberal ideology, which manifests in the conflict between power and subaltern groups in the access and distribution of water resources. The nexus between avocado trees and hydrological supplies produces a discriminating socio-economic system that protects and safeguards powerful social actors at the expense of vulnerable categories and “neoliberalising” the local environment. Moreover, a potential counter-hegemony linked to public participation in the water framework was recognized, opening up for future research.

Large areas of northern Sweden have been ditched to promote forest growth by draining wet soils and peatlands. These ditches have greatly added to length of Sweden’s stream and river network, but the ecological properties of these man-made aquatic environments is poorly understood. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the extent to which forest ditches support benthic macroinvertebrate communities, test the factors might influence variation in these communities across ditches, and evaluate how these communities differ from those observed in more natural headwater streams. To do this, I analysed macroinvertebrate family richness and community composition from 16 sampling sites distributed across two ditch networks in northern Boreal Sweden. At each site, I also compiled information related to channel structure, water depth, and the upstream distance from more typical headwater streams. I then tested whether variation in community metrics among ditch sites was related to differences in local habitat properties as well in the spatial position of sites within the ditch network.  Finally, I used existing data from four headwater streams within the same broader catchment to evaluate how these communities compare with those observed in forest drainage ditches. Results showed that macroinvertebrate family richness and community composition varied among ditch sampling sites, but that these systems supported a range of aquatic taxa that are typically found in headwater streams.  Overall, family richness tended to increase among ditch sampling locations that had greater water depth at the time of sampling and that were located further downstream in the ditch network. In addition, sampling locations with mineral substrate tended to support communities with a greater representation of more sensitive aquatic orders when compared to sites dominated by peat sediments. Finally, while family richness was not significantly different between ditches and headwater streams, benthic communities in streams were dominated by different set of taxa that reflect greater flow velocity and better overall water quality conditions.  Overall, my results suggest ditches in the boreal forest landscape can support benthic communities that closely resemble what is observed in headwater streams. However, ditch habitats were also highly variable, with several sites indicating poor local habitat conditions for many benthic organisms.  Hydrological patterns, including water depth, but also unmeasured variables like flow velocity and the potential for seasonal drying likely play a key role in influencing the ecological properties of ditches in these landscapes.

This paper uses an environmental justice framework which is expanded through decolonial theory to analyse whether the mine permitting process used by the Swedish state does justice to local people’s opinions, perspectives and cultural histories. The specific case of Gállok is chosen as it is widely known in national and international circles and therefore has potential to make long-term impact. Research analysing the Swedish permitting process and its implications is severely lacking, thus this paper aims to act as an important stepping stone for future research into the subject. To answer the question, yarning was used to capture local perspectives in Jokkmokk. The conversations were later transcribed and coded using the expanded forms of justice as main coding topics. The results show that the inclusion of local communities in the consultation process is mostly symbolic and that they have no say or power over project details. The conversations also revealed that there is an overwhelming belief that the benefits to the local community are greatly exaggerated, while costs are understated. The analysis shows that the local communities, especially the Sámi sub-group, would have to bare the largest part of ecological and social damages, while overall benefits would be minimal. Finally, the paper argues that the Indigenous community members in northern Sweden cannot live according to their own ways, as land alterations from industrial developments force them to adapt, in order to be able to continue herding reindeer. This study fills a gap in research looking at the permitting process in the Swedish context as a potential source of oppression from a local community’s perspective. It emphasises the importance of understanding and addressing a larger system’s subsystems in order to cause an eventual transition towards more equitable functioning.

Due to their resilience, durability, and broad genetic variations, increasing the production and consumption of landrace cereals has been highlighted as a solution to handle increasing environmental variability resulting from climate change. However, the consumption of landrace cereals remains low due to limited production and purchase availability for consumers. To increase knowledge and possibly the production and consumption of landrace cereals, the overall aim of the study was to investigate the influence of terroir and the addition of ingredients on consumers' perception and acceptance of sensory qualities in cookies prepared from the landrace cereal swidden rye. Rye (Secale cereale) has been pointed out as a wonder crop and is of historical importance in the Nordic region. The study analyses the application of swidden rye (Swedish: Svedjeråg), a landrace variety of rye, in cookies by investigating how consumers perceive and describe its sensory characteristics. Additionally, the study explores how terroir relates to sensory perceptions. Five samples of swidden rye and a conventional rye sample have been included in the study. The study used a mixed methods approach with a Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®), a hedonic liking test, a focus group, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data. Different sensory profiles could be detected for the cookies produced with swidden rye, and a descriptive vocabulary and sensory profiles have been developed to describe the swidden rye cookies. Common descriptors were a browned butter aroma, a colour that ranged between golden and grey, roasted nutty and rye flavours, with a coarser or oily texture. All cookies were considered liked and acceptable by consumers, and cookies produced with swidden rye and the addition of butter and sugar could meet future consumers' expectations. There were relationships between terroir and sensory perceptions of swidden rye cookies. Relationships were found for increases and decreases in intensities of different sensory attributes. The geographical location on the latitude was only related to a decrease in the liking for texture; otherwise, differences in the consumer's liking were not related to the farm's geographical location. Showing that soil texture and land types are more related to differences in consumer liking and that the geographical location was less so. However, all parameters representing terroir were related to perceived sensory attribute intensities. The knowledge gained can be applied in the efforts to increase the production and consumption of landrace cereals. Communicating both the history, the historical importance, and the different sensory characteristics of swidden rye through terroir could be one way to increase consumers' interests and consumption.

This thesis investigates the underexplored relationship between water allocation inequalities in agriculture and power distributions in the context of a recent water drought in the Western Cape province in South Africa. The thesis focused on the Municipality of Stellenbosch. The methods for the thesis consisted of online interviews and analysis of documents. Interview data were combined with the analysis of secondary source material. The theoretical framework is based on the theory of hegemony after Antonio Gramsci which is used to approach and analyze power distributions in water allocation inequalities in agriculture. The results of the thesis show a hegemonial form of power that manifests itself in three ways, namely through material prerequisites for maintaining inequalities, force and consent in political and civil society, and common sense. While the identified form of hegemony manifests the interests of commercial agriculture; it suppresses water allocations to other forms of agricultural production in the study area. The thesis contents that for future research, in the context of future water droughts in South Africa, the analysis of counter-hegemonies is required.

Sammanfattning Ett stort användningsområde för fosfor är som näringsämne i mineralgödsel, då fosfor är ett livsnödvändigt näringsämne för växter. Monokaliumfosfat av teknisk kvalitet (tMKP) är ett helt vattenlösligt mineralgödsel som innehåller näringsämnena kalium och fosfor. Ett annat mineralgödsel är monoammoniumfosfat av teknisk kvalitet (tMAP) som innehåller näringsämnena kväve och fosfor. Idag är Sverige inte självförsörjande på fosfor, som används i både tMAP och tMKP, utan är beroende av import från bland annat Marocko och Ryssland. I och med Rysslands invasion av Ukraina har fosfor blivit en svåråtkomlig och dyr produkt på dagens marknad, vilket har ökat intresset för att utvinna fosfor på andra sätt än genom gruvbrytning. Syftet med detta projekt var att ge företaget EasyMining en bredare kunskap kring tMKP genom att jämföra det med tMAP. EasyMining avser att börja producera tMKP i framtiden, idag har de utvecklat en process för att producera tMAP. Genom att utvärdera tMAP och tMKP syftade projektet på att ge förståelse för vilketdera som är mer fördelaktig för EasyMining att fokusera sin produktion på. Ett ytterligare syfte med projektet var att undersöka om det är mest fördelaktigt att utvinna fosfor från gruva eller från avloppsslam. Detta gjordes för att sätta projektet i en större kontext, då fosfor importeras till Sverige från flera länder som idag är politiskt ostabila. Frågeställningarna som undersöktes var; (1) vilket av tMAP och tMKP som är att föredra med avseende på koldioxidutsläpp, pris och tillstånd och (2) om antingen fosfor utvunnen från gruvbrytning eller fosfor återvunnen från avloppsslam är mest fördelaktig med avseende på koldioxidutsläpp och kadmiumhalt. Studien utfördes med en multikriterieanalys (MKA) som metod för att kunna bedöma och jämföra respektive gödselmedel. För de olika parametrarna (koldioxidutsläpp, pris, tillstånd och kadmiumhalt) framtogs poängsystem, där höga poäng innebar ett högt betyg. Data till jämförelsen togs fram med hjälp av en litteraturstudie. De resultat som erhölls för den första frågeställningen var att tMAP fick 22 poäng och tMKP fick 38 poäng. För frågeställning två blev resultatet att fosfor utvunnen ur gruva fick 20 poäng och fosfor återvunnen från avloppsslam sju poäng. Från de erhållna resultaten kunde slutsatsen dras att tMKP är mer fördelaktig än tMAP utifrån valda parametrar samt att fosfor utvunnen från gruva resulterar i lägre koldioxidutsläpp och kadmiumhalt jämfört med fosfor återvunnen från avloppsslam.

Tvärån is an urban stream close to the center of Umeå that serve as a recipient of contaminants from various industries. Therefore, the county administrative board (Länsstyrelsen) in Västerbotten were interested in a compilation of water chemistry data from earlier studies done in Tvärån. In this study, I synthesize available information regarding Tväråns water chemistry as well as review potential emissions from the surrounding industries. Upstream samples were used as background references to deduce where in Tvärån and Klockarbäcken water was affected by industrial inputs of metals. The result from my study shows higher concentrations of all metals in water from Klockarbäcken, with the exception for arsenic (As). Leakage from acid sulfate soils can explain the concentrations of nickel (Ni), zink (Zn), and cadmium (Cd), while sources for lead (Pb) was assumed to come from the industrial area and a large road (E12). From Västerslätt industrial area all recently analyzed metal concentrations were higher in one stormwater outlet except for the elements As and Ni. The higher concentrations are likely explained by diffuse contamination from the local industries together with low pH. Organic contaminants (PAH, PCB, PFAS and Terbutryn) exceeded the detection limit downstream Tvärån, PAH and PCB had obvious upstream sources. As exceeded the Swedish environmental quality standards both up- and downstream the industrial area as well as in Klockarbäcken while Zn exceeded downstream and Klockarbäcken, Ni and Cd only in Klockarbäcken and bens(a)pyren only downstream. In conclusion, the higher concentrations of metals occurred in Klockarbäcken with the elevated levels continued downstream Tvärån where industrial activities also have had an impact on the metal and organic pollutant concentrations.