Browsing by study line "Global hållbarhet"
Now showing items 61-69 of 69
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(2021)Energy consumption of apartment buildings account for a significant part of European Union’s total greenhouse gas emissions and improving the energy efficiency of buildings is a major part of reaching Union’s climate goals. To reach these goals the EU has revised some of its legislation and one of the latest reforms is the complete revision of Energy Efficiency of Buildings directive in 2018. Directives article 14 decreed that member states need to implement energy efficiency measures on large apartment buildings and to meet these measures member states were given three options on how to implement article 14. Finland implemented the article with so called voluntary advice method. The goal of this study is to understand the conclusion of the national implementation of article 14 and explain it with implementation theory. The study tries to understand what factors led to the implementation of voluntary advice method and whether this selection can be explained with implementation theory. Study design is one case explanatory case study. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted for this research and the material was analysed with qualitative methods. All the interviewees were either officials in charge of the implementation or experts and researchers who took part in the implementation process. The study shows that the factors leading up to the selected implementation method were earlier experiences from other implementations, the straightforward nature of implementing advice method and the cost estimates between the given implementation options. It also became clear that the method was favoured by the officials, experts and target group and this volition might have affected the result. Study helps to understand the process of implementing EU legislation in a member state, what challenges officials face during the implementation and what kind of expectations steer the process. The study found out that previous implementation methods may have a significant impact on the implementation of revised directives. Study also verified the factors affecting implementation defined by implementation theories.
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(2024)As part of the European Green Deal, the European Union has set a goal to increase its domestic raw material extraction by 2030. The EU Critical Raw Materials Act lays out concrete goals for securing and strengthening EU’s domestic supply of critical raw materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act will potentially have significant impacts on land use in Europe’s mineral rich regions. These include northern Fennoscandia which is also home to the Indigenous Sámi inhabiting Sápmi. Extractive projects have multifaceted impacts on local communities and the environment, and mining-related conflicts are on the rise globally. The EU’s goal to increase mining domestically calls for the critical assessment of mining from the perspective of justice. The theoretical framework of this thesis comprises of environmental justice and extractivism. The geographical focus of this thesis is on mining in the northern parts of Fennoscandia – Norway, Sweden and Finland. My research question is: how do different stakeholders from Norway, Sweden and Finland view increasing mining in northern Fennoscandia from an environmental justice perspective? My method is critical discourse analysis consisting of three levels of analysing discourse: textual, interpretative, and critical. I combine perspectives of environmental justice to the study of discourse and apply an environmental justice framework consisting of procedural, recognition and epistemic justice. My data consists of stakeholder feedback submitted to the European Commission’s open online consultation on the Critical Raw Materials Act proposal. The aim is to understand how different stakeholders consider environmental justice aspects as part of increasing extractive activities in northern Fennoscandia. The analysis reveals that most stakeholders agree with the need to increase mining of critical raw materials, and the northernmost Fennoscandia is coined as an important location for mining critical raw materials. Regions emphasize the involvement of local communities and the positive contributions of mining locally. Sámi representatives underline Indigenous rights and strengthening Sámi participation in decision-making. Business actors emphasize the need to accelerate mining permitting processes and to reassess environmental legislation in the context of mining projects. Many stakeholders view technological solutions as a means to conduct mining sustainably, and business actors in particular call for a change of attitudes towards mining. A critical analysis reveals that in terms of environmental justice the discourse is rather limiting; local and traditional knowledge and livelihoods are not thoroughly addressed, and the environment is viewed mainly as a resource.
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(2020)Meat consumption in the world is increasing, which has significant negative effects on the ongoing climate change. There is a need to make people change their diets towards more plant-based. One of the problems is that there is a negative atmosphere around veganism and vegans that prevents the change. In order to get people more plant-based, that negative atmosphere around veganism and vegans should be reduced. The aim of this study is to find out what kind of arguments are used against veganism and vegans, and what rhetorical strategies are used in these arguments. Previous studies have shown that there is still a strong belief that meat is a necessary part of the diet to keep one healthy. Studies also show, that the reason people do not change their diets can be attitudinal, for example that people think they are meant to eat meat, or practical, for example that there is not enough information available. The material for this study is from the Finnish online discussion forum Suomi24 and consists of messages that are against veganism and vegans. The Suomi24 data was retrieved from the KORP interface, where it was possible to search messages related to veganism. There is no information about the people behind the messages, because they are anonymous on the forum. The material was analysed with content analysis and strengthened with rhetorical analysis. Categorization was part of the analysis and categories were coded to the material in the Atlas.ti program. As a result, there were seven main categories and 28 sub-categories under two parent categories. The most common arguments against veganism and vegans were related to health, vegans as individuals and how vegans act. The most commonly used rhetorical strategies were factual argumentation, categorization, extreme expression and taking distance from one’s own interests. As a conclusion, to be able to increase plant-based food in people’s diets, more available information is needed, and positive encouragement without incrimination to build up an attractive atmosphere around veganism and vegans.
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(2021)In recent years, the role of economic models in guiding government policy has provoked discussion as human wellbeing and the state of the environment are threatened by multiple sustainability challenges, most notably by the ecological sustainability crisis. The mainstream economic approach has received criticism since it has not been able to solve these challenges and thus, several alternative approaches in pursuit for a just and sustainable future have gained popularity both nationally and internationally. In this thesis I focus on the wellbeing economy concept in the Finnish welfare state in the early 2020s. Wellbeing economy was introduced in Finland by the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Wealth (SOSTE) in 2012 to highlight the interdependency of human wellbeing and economy. The concept has since been developed and realized by different actors of the society, but it is not yet that well-known among the public. To find out the potential role of this new economic approach in the transition towards sustainable welfare society, it is important to get a clear picture of how the concept is interpreted by its advocates. Therefore, in my case study, I examined the expert narratives of wellbeing economy. My main research question is: What does the concept of wellbeing economy mean in Finland in the early 2020s? This question is complemented by two sub-questions: 1) What are the shared contents and practices associated with wellbeing economy? and 2) What are the key differences between different conceptions of wellbeing economy? The underlying disagreements in theory and in practice of wellbeing economy might impact the integrity of the concept even if the concept formulation of wellbeing economy seems consistent. I conducted seven (7) semi-structured expert interviews from five (5) different organizations during the spring 2021. The interviews were thematically analysed with a focus on the memes of neoliberal narratives and the memes of alternative narratives as well as the conflicting memes in alternative narratives. In this study, a meme is defined as the structural component of a narrative. Finally, I identified similarities and differences in these building blocks of wellbeing economy narratives between different experts. I found that there were more shared memes than differences in the experts’ conceptions of wellbeing economy. Most of the interviewees mentioned memes of neoliberal narrative. All the interviewees mentioned the alternative narrative memes connected networks, sustainability, cooperation with others, and human dignity, prosperity, and wellbeing. Most of them also considered the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity in crisis. However, the meme a new economic system created the greatest division in the interpretations of wellbeing economy. In conclusion, some interviewees supported the neoliberalism more clearly while others opposed this narrative, and the rest were not clearly for or against the growth-agenda. The ambiguity of the concept especially in terms of economic growth should be further discussed in addition to specifying, for instance, what is meant by sustainability and wellbeing in wellbeing economy. Further research is also needed to find out how the discussion about wellbeing economy concept will develop in Finland and internationally.
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(2024)While using fireworks is a common seasonal tradition in Finland, it is accompanied with serious risks, such as injuries and fires. Thus, in 2018 a citizens’ initiative Rajat räiskeelle aimed to prohibit most firework-types from consumers. Despite being rejected by the Parliament, the initiative sparked an official investigation on how to decrease firework-related harm in Finland. This thesis continues to focus on the public’s stance on fireworks by studying the current controversy of fireworks in Finland through (I) the issues that are perceived as the most prominent by those, who oppose fireworks in consumers’ use and (II) inspects different measures with which to address the raised concerns, with the goal of mitigating them. My first research question’s data comes from 11 Finnish online news articles’ comment sections, that I sourced with the search term “rajat räiskeelle”. With inductive thematic analysis on the comments against private firework use, emerging themes indicate the main issues associated with the practice of using fireworks. The second research question is answered with previous literature, research, and existing regulations. Pierce and Turner’s insights on environmental pollution control (1990) as well as Lascoumes and Le Galés’ research on policy instruments implementations effects in societies (2007) provide the theoretical framework that guides this research. I identified (1) community disruption, (2) health and safety concerns, (3) regulatory issues, (4) environmental concerns, and (5) negative effects on animals to be the most prominent themes for objecting to fireworks in consumer-use, with human-related issues in the centre of interest for Finns. From the studied mitigation measures of standards, taxes, prohibition, subsidies, education, and labels and symbols, the combination of standards and education in different forms appear to hold most potential in addressing harm from fireworks. This indicates that regulative instruments are not sufficient alone to prevent fireworks’ harm, but that non-regulative measures, like educational campaigns, are needed as well. My findings also indicate country-specific variations in the motivations for opposing fireworks among the public, as well as among the background reasons that prompt authorities to restrict citizens’ access to and use of fireworks. This suggests that a mix of characteristics, unique to Finland, should be considered when planning for a successful mitigation of harm from consumer-fireworks.
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(2021)This Master’s thesis is two-part. The first part is the Methodological Introduction, which introduces the background of this research, the research process, methods and ethical considerations. The second part is a manuscript of a scientific article, sent for review in the scientific journal Sage Open, with the title Wicked problems in Africa – A systematic literature review. The article is a systematic literature review of the usage of Horst W. J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber’s wicked problems concept in peer-reviewed scientific literature focusing on Africa. The reviewed 45 scientific articles were chosen using a systematic methdolology, basing on a set of inclusion criteria. Based on the reviewed literature, three research questions were answered by utilizing the tabulation of key information from the articles, and with content analysis. The research questions are: 1) What are the main themes and concrete manifestations of issues descri-bed as wicked in the African context? 2) What are the geographic foci of articles that use the concept of wicked problems in the African context? 3) Is the concept of wicked problems utilized and therefore seen as applicable by authors affiliated with African cultures? Based on the reviewed articles, a typology is formed. According to this typology, wicked problems in the African context can be interlinked, exacerbated, or contextual. Especially important is the contextuality, which the concept of dual wickedness reminds us of. In addition, the research states that the lack of usage of the wicked problems concept in scientific literature on Africa may be because of the English-language or Western background of the concept. Based on the results, we suggest, that future characterizations of the wicked problems concept should include context-sensitivity.
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(2024)The present climate crisis demands an energy transition, where development in renewable energy is significant. The shift has brought about a surge is wind power schemes underpinned by considerable political conditions. More and more wind power takes place on Sámi homeland, Sápmi. The thesis studies the argumentative performance of the Sámi participating in an operational licensing process of a wind power scheme, Davvi vindkraftverk. The objective of the research has been to demonstrate what an empirical case discloses about argumentation of the Sámi regarding wind power resistance. Few research has addressed political opposition and resistance of wind power in Sápmi. Moreover, the thesis politicises and complexifies the ecological approach to wind power in applying a critical political ecology framework, serving for the exploration of the argumentative performance of the Sámi with an explicit consideration to power within the licensing process. Public hearing statements are a requisite measure of an operational licensing process as well as the most important avenue for discussing viewpoints of stakeholders. A data corpus of 35 hearing statements representative of the Sámi has been systematically treated with an inductive open coding following a robust and rigorous thematic analysis. The analysis has proposed a set of five thematic categories of basis of argumentation: statutory basis, complex harm, advice, asymmetries, and land conceptualisations. The findings suggest that argumentative performance of the Sámi is limited to acting in structures and procedures designed, constructed, and executed by the regnant society. A concept of “rules of the game” is introduced referring to the type of language, rhetoric, and comprehensively, argumentation that ought to be used in hearing statements by the Sámi. The thesis argues that Sámi seek to employ pragmatic adjustments to argumentation on a basis that is apt for discourses of rational, capitalist land-use and land allocation to better navigate participation in the wind power licensing process and to legitimise agency for decision-making. Yet, argumentation is performed strategically without giving away the positionality of being in resistance. The thesis contributes to critical political ecology research suggesting that climate change mitigation and energy transition measures are influenced by relations of power. Additionally, the findings could guide licensing processes into less destructive and dichotomous character, orienting future measures of climate change mitigation and energy transition towards more inclusive decision-making, giving ground for a more holistic understanding of land-use conflicts regarding wind power on Indigenous territory and adding to overcoming contrasting onto-epistemologies. To conclude, the findings of the thesis point to a pressing need for more detailed research on trajectories of green infrastructure on Indigenous territory. What is more, future research could re-disclose Davvi vindkraftverk, when a final verdict of the operational licensing process is known.
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(2024)Tämä maisterintutkielma tarkastelee käsitteellis-teoreettisesti ja systeemisillä työkaluilla yksilötason biodiversiteetin ja sen suojelun problematiikkaa ja merkityksiä tuntoisten eläinten osalta. Biodiversiteetti jaotellaan yleisimmin kolmelle tasolle: geneettinen, lajien ja ekosysteemien monimuotoisuus. Tässä työssä tuodaan siis tarkastelun kohteeksi neljäs taso eli yksilötaso, jota ei ole juuri sisällytetty biologista monimuotoisuutta koskevaan keskusteluun tai sen käytännön suojeluun. Työn kahtena päätavoitteena on osallistua biodiversiteetin teoreettisen ymmärryksen kehittämiseen sekä tuoda yksilötason ja sen monimuotoisuus käsitteelliseksi osaksi biodiversiteetistä ja sen suojelusta käytävää keskustelua. Työn pääasiallinen lähestymistapa on systeeminen, ja sen käsitteellis-teoreettinen tutkimusote hyödyntää filosofisen tutkimuksen periaatteita analysoiden ongelmallista, mutta usein ongelmattomana pidettyä biodiversiteettikäsitystä. Muita keskeisiä työprosessin kannalta olennaisia metodologisia välineitä ovat heuristiikka, abduktiivinen päättely sekä hermeneuttisen kehän malli. Lisäksi tutkimustehtävän 1 ratkaisussa käytetään kuvailevan kirjallisuuskatsauksen metodia. Työ on luonteeltaan tieteidenvälinen, ja siinä yhdistellään esimerkiksi metodologisen tai käsitteellis-teoreettisen pohjan suhteen toisistaan paljonkin poikkeavien tieteenalojen näkökulmia. Systeemi-, kaaos- ja kompleksisuusteoriaan liittyvän systeemisen lähestymistavan lisäksi työ kytkeytyy tutkimuskohteen osalta erityisesti biologian ja etiikan näkökulmiin. Työn tutkimustehtävinä on 1) selvittää, minkälaisia tietoja ja näkemyksiä kirjallisuudessa esitetään tuntoisten eläinyksilöiden perusolemuksesta ja ominaisuuksista, yksilöiden välisestä vaihtelusta sekä näihin liittyvistä, suojelun kannalta oleellisista merkityksistä, 2) rakentaa systeemiteorian pohjalta käsitteellinen kehys, joka soveltuu tehtävässä 1 esitetyn aihekokonaisuuden systeemiseen analysoimiseen sekä 3) soveltaa tehtävässä 2 rakennettua kehystä tehtävän 1 aihekokonaisuuden systeemiseen havainnollistamiseen ja analysoimiseen. Sen lisäksi, että työ rajautuu tuntoisiin eläimiin, tarkastellaan yksilötason suojelumerkitysten osalta lähinnä luonnonsuojelun ja eläinoikeuksien näkökulmia. Lisäksi tutkimustehtäviä ratkovassa työskentelyssä painottuvat voimakkaasti ontologiset ja epistemologiset näkökulmat biodiversiteetin ymmärtämiseen ja suojeluun. Tutkimustehtävien ratkaisu noudattaa rakenteeltaan tieteidenvälisiin opinnäytetöihin soveltuvaa object–tool–application-mallia. Tutkimustehtävien lisäksi työllä on kolme tärkeää lisätavoitetta, joita käsitellään lyhyesti työn lopussa: 1) pohtia, kuinka hyvin systeemistentyökalujen avulla onnistuttiin lisäämään ymmärrystä biodiversiteetin käsitteestä ja kokonaisproblematiikasta, erityisesti yksilötason monimuotoisuutta koskien, 2) esittää avauksia, jotka voisivat toimia rajoja ylittävinä siltoina eläinoikeuksista ja luonnonsuojelusta käytäville keskusteluille, joiden välillä esiintyy toisinaan vastakkainasettelua sekä 3) pohtia ontologisen ja erityisesti epistemologisen käsittelyn lisäksi arvoteoreettisten näkökohtien merkityksestä biodiversiteettiin ja sen suojeluun liittyvissä kysymyksissä. Työssä rakennettu systeeminen kehys koostuu yhteensä 11 käsitteestä (kursivoidut). Koottuun kirjallisuuteen perustuvan systeemisen analyysin tulosten perusteella biodiversiteettijaottelua voidaan tarkastella holarkiana, joka kuvastaa kompleksisena systeeminä tulkitun biologisen järjestelmän vertikaalisesti ja horisontaalisesti ilmenevää toiminnallista ja rakenteellista kompleksisuutta, eli monimuotoisuutta. Systeemisten työkalujen avulla pystytään havainnollistamaan, että yksilötaso erottuu perusolemuksensa ja ominaisuuksiensa puolesta biodiversiteettijaottelussa omana systeemitasonaan, jonka ylä- ja alapuolelle on perusteltua hahmottaa kompleksisuuskynnys, ja jolla ilmenee vuorovaikutusten, itseorganisoitumisen ja näistä johtuvan emergenssin vuoksi sille erityisiä ja suojelun kannalta merkittäviä ominaisuuksia ja toimintaa. Toisaalta sisäisen similaarisuuden käsitteen avulla pystytään osoittamaan, että yksilötasolla ilmenee myös sellaisia suojelumerkityksiä, joita käytetään lajien ja ekosysteemien suojelun perusteena. Yksilötason rooli sekä vertikaalisen että horisontaalisen biodiversiteetin osana näyttäytyy tärkeänä ja suojelemisen arvoisena. Työn tulosten pohjalta voidaan esittää, että on vähintäänkin perusteltua mainita yksilötaso omana biodiversiteetin lähteenään ja ottaa vakavasti mukaan biodiversiteetistä käytävään keskusteluun ja tutkimukseen. Huolimatta siitä, mistä näkökulmasta ja mitä biodiversiteetin ulottuvuutta pyrimme milloinkin suojelemaan, ovat yksilöt pohjimmiltaan kaiken tämän elonkirjon taustalla eläviä toimijoita, elämän perusyksiköitä. Jos siis haluamme suojella planeettamme elonkirjoa, kannattaa siitä käytävään keskusteluun sisällyttää myös se, jota luonnossa pidetään yleisesti merkityksellisenä, eli elämä ja sen vaihtelu.
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(2024)Globaalit ympäristöongelmat vaikuttavat haitallisesti ekosysteemien lisäksi ihmisen terveyteen ja hyvinvointiin. Terveydenhuollossa onkin tapahtumassa liikehdintää kohti kestävämpien toimintatapojen huomiointia. Globaalin kestävyyskriisin ratkaisujen löytämiseksi tarvitaan eri sektoreiden ja eri alojen ammattilaisten osallistamista keskusteluun ja kestävyyden edistämiseen. On kuitenkin syytä tutkia niitä luontoon ja kestävyyteen liittyviä ajattelumalleja, jotka vaikuttavat terveydenhuollon ammattilaisten työhön tässä ja nyt. Ihmisen etääntynyttä luontosuhdetta on ehdotettu yhdeksi syyksi kestävyyskriisille. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan yleislääkäreiden näkemyksiä heidän työnsä suhteesta luontoon, sekä heidän käsityksiään siitä, millainen lääkäreiden rooli tulisi olla ekologisen kestävyyden edistämisessä. Aineisto koostuu 20:n eri puolella Suomea työskentelevän yleislääkärin haastattelusta. Aineiston analyysimetodina käytettiin laadullista sisällönanalyysia. Lääkärit tunnistavat useita yhteyksiä työnsä ja luonnon välillä konkreettisten lääkärin toimien tasolla, filosofisella tasolla, sekä terveyden ja luonnon yhteyksissä. Luonto nähdään kuitenkin työn valossa ristiriitaisena, samalla sekä olennaisena että etäisenä. Lääkäreillä on tietämystä työn ympäristökuormituksesta sekä terveyden ja luonnon yhteyksistä, mutta he kaipaavat lisää tietoa ja tukea siihen, miten he voisivat konkreettisesti ottaa kestävyys- ja luontonäkökulmat työssään huomioon. Lääkärit ilmaisevat halukkuutta kestävyyden edistämiseen työssään, mutta kokevat roolin haasteelliseksi. Monet lääkärin ammatin toimivaltaan liittyvät piirteet, kuten eettiset ohjeet ja vaatimukset tutkimusnäyttöön perustuvan hoidon toteuttamisesta vaikuttavat jarruttavan yksilöiden toimintaa työssä kestävyysteemaan liittyen. Perustavanlaatuista muutosta, jossa ihminen tunnistettaisiin kokonaisvaltaisesti osana luonnon kokonaisuutta, tarvitaan terveydenhuollon sektorilla. Tutkielma on toteutettu osana Maj ja Tor Nesslingin rahoittamaa HUMUS – Terveydenhuolto rakentamassa kestävää tulevaisuutta -tutkimushanketta, joka tutkii terveydenhuollon sektorin ja sen toimijoiden mahdollisuuksia osallistua kestävyyskriisin ratkaisemiseen.
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