This study takes as a starting point that climate change must be seen as interrelated with other social, technological, political, and ecological challenges of our times, and that it is closely linked to the local arena of policy and planning. By this, the study is guided by the notion that sustainability transitions are needed to combat climate change. The aim of this study is to explore if and how local carbon budgets can be a tool for municipal governance in facilitating sustainability transitions. Through an analysis of narratives of change and modes of governing, the aim is pursued by studying how the local carbon budgets developed at the Climate Change Leadership node at Uppsala University approaches a framework for transition, and how these local carbon budgets have been received by municipal planning and policy actors in two case studies: Nyköping and Järfälla municipality. The study uses a qualitative case study approach with semi-structured interviews, document analysis and participatory observation as its methods. From the results and analysis, three narratives of change emerged: Tweak the system, Re-invent the system, and Shake the system. The three narratives suggest different pathways for sustainability transitions, as well as different approaches to local governance. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the local carbon budgets can be several different tools for sustainability transitions, and what kind of tool it becomes is dependent on what narratives of change and approach to local governance that shapes it. Finally, the study highlights the importance of using local carbon budgets to their full potential, allowing them to question, challenge and reimage what kind of change is needed and how it can come about, if more transformative sustainability transitions are to be reached.

Brazil is one of the largest economies in the Global South. Because of the country’s strong agribusiness and large population, it has a huge potential for biogas production that has yet to be realized. Biogas systems could potentially address a broad range of social, environmental, and economic issues, such as improving accessibility to clean energy sources in rural areas, alternative cooking fuel, and providing proper treatment of organic waste. Hence, biogas systems can play an important role in sustainability transitions by improving the environmental performance of energy generation, waste management systems, and food production. However, despite the availability of substrate for biogas production and the multiple benefits that biogas systems could bring, there is still a large implementation gap.   Biogas systems go beyond technical components and involve a multitude of stakeholders, infrastructure, knowledge, and formal and informal institutions. Therefore, the diffusion of biogas systems cannot be explained only by analyzing the technical components of biogas systems. Previous studies have explored the influences of societal contexts on technological diffusion, but these explored countries in the Global North. However, social, economic, and political aspects differ significantly between Global North and Global South countries.   This thesis aims to explain how societal contexts influence the diffusion of biogas systems in Brazil. The thesis distinguishes between societal contexts, delineating them as societal environments and socio-economic structures. Societal environments refer to the circumstances and aspects surrounding the diffusion process where alignment processes between new socio-technical systems and society happen across five environments: user, business, regulatory, cultural, and trans-local. Socio-economic structures refer to societal arrangements that shape social and economic aspects of society. The Varieties of Capitalism framework provides a tool for comparison of the socio-economic structures of different countries in the Global North and South. The thesis relies on case studies based on quantitative and qualitative data from documents (scientific articles, news articles, technical reports, research reports, official documents by governmental agencies, and policies) and interviews.    Societal contexts appear to be more unstable and fragmented compared to counterparts in the Global North, influencing the diffusion of biogas systems. Hierarchical structures in Brazil lead to power disparities between administrative levels (municipal, state, and federal levels), impacting policymaking and hindering local-level biogas system configurations. The thesis highlights socio-economic diversity among Brazilian states and how it influences where and which biogas system configurations are formed. This thesis emphasizes that studies on biogas systems’ potential should consider contextual aspects beyond substrate availability to comprehensively understand biogas systems diffusion in diverse settings. / Brasilien är en av de största ekonomierna i den globala södern. Givet landets starka jordbruksindustri och stora befolkning finns goda förutsättningar för storskalig biogasproduktion. Men det är en potential som ännu inte har exploaterats i någon större utsträckning. Biogassystem har potential att bidra till lösningen på flertalet sociala, miljömässiga och ekonomiska frågor, såsom att förbättra tillgången till rena energikällor på landsbygden, erbjuda alternativa bränslen för matlagning och att tillhandahålla lämplig behandling av organiskt avfall. Därmed kan biogassystem spela en viktig roll i en hållbar omställning genom att förbättra miljöprestandan för energiproduktion, avfallshantering och livsmedelsproduktion. Trots de många fördelarna som biogassystem medför finns alltså fortfarande en stor klyfta mellan potentialen och vad som är realiserat.   Biogassystem sträcker sig bortom tekniska komponenter och inkluderar även en mångfald av intressenter, infrastruktur, kunskap samt formella och informella institutioner. Därför kan spridningen av biogassystem inte förstås enbart genom att analysera tekniska komponenter i biogassystemet. Tidigare studier som har studerat hur sådana bredare samhällsfaktorer påverkar spridningen av teknologi har huvudsakligen undersökt länder i västvärlden (det globala norr). Men sociala, ekonomiska och politiska aspekter skiljer sig betydligt mellan länder i det globala norr och det globala söder.   Denna avhandling syftar därför till att förklara hur olika samhällsfaktorer påverkar spridningen av biogassystem i Brasilien. Avhandlingen skiljer mellan olika sorters samhällsfaktorer och delar in dem i samhälleliga miljöer och socioekonomiska strukturer. Samhälleliga miljöer avser de omständigheter och aspekter som omger spridningsprocessen där anpassningsprocesser mellan nya sociotekniska system och samhället sker över fem miljöer: användarmiljön, affärsmiljön, den reglerande miljön, den kulturella miljön och den translokala miljön. Socioekonomiska strukturer avser samhälleliga arrangemang som formar sociala och ekonomiska aspekter av samhället. För att jämföra socioekonomiska strukturer i olika länder i det globala norr och globala söder används även ramverket ”Varieties of Capitalsim” som beskriver olika former av kapitalism. Avhandlingen baseras på fallstudier och använder kvantitativa och kvalitativa data från dokument (vetenskapliga artiklar, nyhetsartiklar, tekniska rapporter, forskningsrapporter, officiella dokument från statliga organ och policys) samt intervjuer. Resultaten visar att de studerade samhällsfaktorerna i Brasilien verkar vara mer instabila och fragmenterade jämfört med motsvarigheter i det globala norr, vilket påverkar spridningen av biogassystem negativt. Hierarkiska strukturer i Brasilien leder till maktobalans mellan administrativa nivåer (kommunal, delstatlig och federal nivå), vilket påverkar politiskt beslutsfattande och hindrar utvecklingen av biogassystem på lokal nivå. Avhandlingen lyfter fram betydelsen av socioekonomisk mångfald bland Brasiliens delstater och hur dessa påverkar var och vilka biogassystem som utvecklas. Avhandlingen understryker att studier om biogassystems potential bör överväga kontextuella aspekter bortom tillgång på substrat för att bättre förstå spridningen av biogassystem i olika sammanhang. / <p><strong>Funding:</strong> the Biogas Solutions Research Center (BSRC)</p>

This research investigates how capacity-building interventions might be designed and implemented to enhance strategic sustainability work in municipal contexts and address institutional capacity deficits hindering effective sustainability transitions. Drawing from a blend of secondary and primary data sources, including semi-structured interviews and surveys, our study employs a conceptual framework to identify considerations crucial for effective, responsive, and transformative capacity-building efforts. Results reveal the significance of fostering a robust capacity-building culture, understanding context-specific engagement styles (learner archetypes), and utilizing a combination of approaches tailored to context-specific needs. This study also suggests the interdependence of goals and values across the four levels of strategic sustainability action and transformation (individual, organizational, network and systems level), emphasizing the importance of accounting for all four levels in the cultivation of a supportive capacity building culture and promoting a strategic approach to capacity building planning and implementation, balancing short-term objectives with the pursuit of long-term transformative outcomes. Findings contribute valuable insights for capacity-building planners and interveners involved in the design and implementation of continuous capacity building efforts aimed at enhancing strategic work of diverse actors engaged in sustainability efforts.

The transportation sector is a key carbon emitter, and e-mobility is becoming increasingly recognised around the globe to address climate change, biodiversity loss and societal challenges. In Sri Lanka, e-mobility is identified as a major alternative option that emerged while combating the economic crisis. This paper explores potential pathways to integrate e-mobility into the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA) through understanding 'What hinders this e-mobility transition?' and 'How to accelerate it?'. The study applied a combination of transition studies, including MLP, Path dependency and, lock-ins and transition management theories, followed by the mixed-methods approach to analysing the complexities created along the co-evolution of socio-technical systems and to suggest potential pathways. The findings show that historical influences and diverse configuration elements hinder the capabilities of emerging e-mobility novelties by locking society in a private vehicle-dominating regime. A holistic and integrated approach is necessary to overcome the identified challenges and to achieve a sustainable e-mobility transition.

Learning from each other and knowledge exchange matter in achieving transitions toward more sustainability. Cycling promotion is substantive in these complex transitions. The thesis was a first attempt to examine and contribute knowledge to comprehend whether mentoring assisted practitioners to understand, navigate, and operate in the complex context of sustainability transitions. Hence, this thesis investigated the European project CIVITAS Handshake which is the first of its kind introducing mentoring relationships initiating such exchange between European cities that differ in their cycling planning experiences. The qualitative data analysis included semi-structured interviews of eight project participants, written answers of two informants of a project partner organization, and material produced during the project. The research suggests mentoring to be an assisting tool for practitioners and their planning activities on an individual basis. As these activities are situated in the complex context of sustainability transitions, mentoring also assisted in better understanding, navigating, and operating in this setting. Their participation in such interactions is socially significant as they are involved in decision-making in (mobility) planning toward more sustainability. However, the difficulty of tacit knowledge transfer and conversion, and the handling of learning individuals within organizations limit mentoring’s assistance. These constraints need future engagement and reflection.

There is consensus about a need to reduce the amount of green-house gas emission in the electricity industry to be able to deal with the probable consequences of climate change. This necessitates extensive investments in technologies used to generate electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E). To stimulate such investments, governments have enacted several policy instruments. However, the outcomes of these instruments are mixed. This thesis delineates two reasons for the different effects of policies. First, the development of the renewable electricity industry hinges on a set of driving forces that differ across regions, through the years and for different actors. Given that, policy instruments are not only driving forces behind the renewable electricity industry and can thus by themselves not explain its development. Second, RES-E investors comprise a heterogeneous group of actors whose perceptions of business opportunities vary substantially and are also based on a variety of driving forces. Hence, RES-E investors may react differently to changes within the electricity industry, as well as to government policies that aim to create a more sustainable electricity industry. Garnering a better understanding of these reactions is therefore important as they influence the pace of transition to a more sustainable electricity industry. This is an interdisciplinary study that brings together several theories and research areas. First, using the technological innovation system perspective, it identifies systemic driving forces behind the development of the renewable energy industry that will also accelerate the electricity industry transitions to sustainability. To gain a better insight into the role of policy instruments as such as well as in relation to other driving forces, this thesis explores what factors are accounted for in attempts to assess the instruments’ performance. Second, drawing on sustainability transition studies and dynamic capability theories, this thesis seeks to explore which firms are willing to contribute—and capable of contributing—to sustainability transitions in the electricity industry. The thesis argues that good forecast and policy plans need to be built on a solid understanding of the firms that change the structure of the electricity industry through their RES-E investments. This thesis leverages a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. Empirical data are collected through two extensive literature reviews on the driving forces of the renewable energy industry development in Europe, a longitudinal case study on a European multinational energy company, and statistical analyses of data on RES-E investors in Sweden. The thesis makes theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions to this area of research. The findings explain what motivates the development of the renewable energy industry; who competes in the renewable electricity industry; and what the future renewable electricity industry may look like. The thesis outlines implications for policies, for managers as well as for renewable energy technologies. / <p>This research was conducted within the framework of the “European Doctorate in Industrial Management” - EDIM - which is funded by The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of European Commission under Erasmus Mundus Action 1 programme. </p><p>QC 20160119</p>

abstract: Energy poverty is pervasive in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria, located in sub-Saharan West Africa, is the world's seventh largest oil exporting country and is a resource-rich nation. It however experiences the same levels of energy poverty as most of its neighboring countries. Attributing this paradox only to corruption or the "Dutch Disease", where one sector booms at the expense of other sectors of the economy, is simplistic and enervates attempts at reform. In addition, data on energy consumption is aggregated at the national level via estimates, disaggregated data is virtually non-existent. Finally, the wave of decentralization of vertically integrated national utilities sweeping the developing world has caught on in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known of the economic and social implications of these transitions within the unique socio-technical system of the region's electricity sector, especially as it applies to energy poverty. This dissertation proposes a complex systems approach to measuring and mitigating energy poverty in Nigeria due to its multi-dimensional nature. This is done via a three-fold approach: the first section of the study delves into causation by examining the governance institutions that create and perpetuate energy poverty; the next section proposes a context-specific minimum energy poverty line based on field data collected on energy consumption; and the paper concludes with an indicator-based transition management framework encompassing institutional, economic, social, and environmental themes of sustainable transition within the electricity sector. This work contributes to intellectual discourse on systems-based mitigation strategies for energy poverty that are widely applicable within the sub-Saharan region, as well as adds to the knowledge-base of decision-support tools for addressing energy poverty in its complexity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2015

The ongoing transformation of the energy system along a more sustainable trajectory requires advancements in a range of technological fields, as well as active involvement of different societal groups. Integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the built environment in particular is expected to play a crucial long-term role in the deployment of renewable energy technologies in urban areas, demanding the successful cooperation of planners, architects, engineers, scientists and users. The realisation of that technological change will require innovation at both an individual (within firms and organisations) and a collective (sector) level, giving rise to systemic approaches for its characterisation and analysis of its drivers. This study investigates the processes that either accelerate or hinder the development and diffusion of Building-Integrated PV (BIPV) applications into the market. Affected by developments in both the renewable energy and construction industries, the BIPV innovation system is a multi-sectoral case that has been explored only partially up to now. Acknowledging the fact that drivers of innovation span the globalised BIPV supply chain, this research adopts both an international and a national spatial perspective focusing on the UK. The analysis is based on a novel analytical framework which was developed in order to capture innovation dynamics at different levels, including technological advancements within firms, competition and synergy with other emerging and established innovation systems and pressures from the wider socio-economic configuration. This hybrid functional framework was conceived by combining elements from three academic strands: Technological Innovation Systems, the Multi-Level Perspective and Business Studies. The empirical research is based on various methods, including desktop research, semi-structured interviews and in-depth firm-level case studies. A thorough market assessment provides the techno-economic background for the research. The hybrid framework is used as a guide throughout the empirical investigation and is also implemented in the analytical part of the study to organise and interpret the findings, in order to assess the overall functionality of the innovation system. The analysis has underlined a range of processes that affect the development and diffusion of BIPV applications including inherent technological characteristics, societal factors and wider transitions within the energy and construction sectors. Future approaches for the assessment and governance of BIPV innovation will need to address its hybrid character and disruptiveness with regards to incumbent configurations, in order to appreciate its significance over the short and long term. Methodological and conceptual findings show that the combination of insights from different analytical perspectives offers a broader understanding of the processes affecting innovation dynamics in emerging technologies. Different approaches can be used in tandem to overcome methodological weaknesses, provide different analytical perspectives and assess the performance of complex innovation systems, which may span multiple countries and sectors. By better reflecting complexities, tensions and synergies, the framework developed here offers a promising way forward for the analysis of emerging sustainable technologies.

A growing awareness of the severity of the climate crisis caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions has led to an increased effort to find governance strategies to transition society towards sustainable development. One recently adopted strategy is the adoption of local carbon budgets, derived from the so-called global carbon budget, within local governments across Sweden. In this thesis, I explore this happening through a case study of the county of Västra Götaland, Sweden using the concept of governmentality to provide critical analysis of the use of local carbon budgets in an attempt to encourage reflexive governance. By conducting semi-structured interviews with persons involved in the adoption of local carbon budgets in Västra Götaland, I seek to gain a greater understanding of how local carbon budgets impact the way actors seek to govern climate through the adoption of new programs of conduct that seek the reform of the current regime of practices that exist within the county. I explore how such carbon budgets construct the problem of climate change and the need for rapid decarbonization to discover what practices are limited or made possible through such a construction. I find that local carbon budgets are problematizing several areas of municipal and regional governance, conceptually and practically, particularly in the way actors understand climate change and the decarbonization challenge. I argue that a reterritorialization of the climate into local ‘emission spaces’ allows for the quantification and distribution of limited ‘emissions resources’ amongst actors in the county. This territorialization and quantification of a constructed resource contribute to a perception of urgency critical to motivating action to decarbonize. These conditions create a mandate for political action to resolve the constructed problem of scarce ‘emissions resources’ within a municipality or county’s ‘emissions space’ to ensure a ‘fair’ distribution in society. I further suggest that actors adopting local carbon budgets should consider the application of common-pool resource management strategies to move governance beyond an internal carbon budgeting approach.

The agri-food sector is responsible for 26% of the total global carbon emissions. This puts the sector under the critical eye of the world, which demands radical solutions to this. For this, alternatives to unsustainable practices have already been implemented and have led to the transformation of the systems into more sustainable ones. And, studies that seek to understand these transformations have been carried out, which belong to the Sustainability Transitions field. However, this branch of studies has been more prominent in countries of the northern hemisphere, and not so much in countries of the south. This is why, this study aimed to extend the knowledge on sustainability transitions in countries from the global south by studying the case of the blueberry sector in Peru, and the possible factors that may be hindering or boosting a sustainable transition. The study focused on the evaluation of secondary data on the context and relevant events within the blueberry sector in Peru from 2004 to 2021, also interviews were held to support the information gathered previously. The study showed that factors that act as a booster for a transition, within the Peruvian context, are the price of a product in the global market, and also the enactment of certain laws that promote certain activities like organic production. Also, those hindering factors were the price of cultivation of the blueberries and the activity of informal institutions called “services”. Moreover, the study shows that two out of the three alternatives for sustainable change that were analyzed lacked consideration for social sustainability aspects. Finally, the insights provided in this study could help to better understand how sustainability transitions could unravel in similar South American regions.