Keywords

Climate/environmental-change related im/mobility (migration/displacement), climate mobility regimes, loss and damage

Domains

(Environmental) Mobilities, (environmental) migration studies, human geography, postcolonial studies

About

Ingrid does research into the relations between climate/environmental change and human im/mobility, exploring the diverse ways in which people move (or may not want to, or may not be able to) in the context of growing climate risks. Her background is in international relations and human geography, and she uses mobile and interdisciplinary ethnography as a course method of research.

Thesis topics & projects

These topics would all intersect with my Vidi project on Climate Mobility in the Borderlands funded by the Dutch Research Council (website yet to be made), and the research of PhD researchers Hanne Wiegel, Basundhara Tripathy, and three new PhD researchers that will soon join ENP.

Climate change and im/mobility in Europe/US/Australia

Most research on climate mobility is done in the Global South. This leaves underexplored how climate change is impacting on people’s mobility in Europe, Australia or the US for example (in the form of displacement, rural-urban mobility, etc.). The thesis could either focus on the policy side or on the perceptions and mobilities of citizens, or on a combination of both; also paying attention to uneven mobilities when comparing movements by the rich elite and those with lesser resources. For further information, see a recent blog on this.

Interdisciplinary data on climate mobility

This project would examine the use of interdisciplinary data for climate mobility, also in active collaboration with Deltares (e.g. what does satellite data tell us and how does this inform climate governance). Alternatively, if you have some funds available for fieldwork, there may be an opportunity to write a thesis in collaboration with Red Cross. This may also be extended into an internship. The idea is to (via fieldwork) ground anonymized mobile phone data that Red Cross acquired of the mobility of pastoralist communities in Kenta, coping with a changing climate. Choosing this topic, means wanting to collaborate with societal partners.See here for an example of such a project.

Postcolonial perspectives on climate mobilities

There has been critique about the ways in which the relation between climate change and migration is being framed, especially in media (e.g. as a threat). As a response, there is a growing call from indigenous groups and populations about their perspectives on these relations and their visions of climate futures. This thesis project would engage with these debates, and from this perspective critically review the role of international donors and climate policies (e.g. in the context of climate adaptation and loss and damage) and how these are viewed and are possibly contested on the ground.

ingrid.boas@wur.nl

See here for a full of publications

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Keywords

Market-based governance, global value chains, digitalisation, global enviromental flows, social practices, (sea)food systems

Domains

Aquaculture and fisheries, certification, digital assurance, system transformation, transformative capabilities and practices

About

Simon’s research focuses on the sustainable transformation of global (sea)food systems. His recent work spans various dimensions related to the effectiveness of market and/or digitally based sustainability interventions by states, NGOs and private companies. Theoretically he focuses on environmental flows and networks, practices and value chains.

Thesis topics & projects

Circular aquaculture governance

Aquaculture is one of the fastest expanding food sectors in the world. At the same time the sector has come under considerable pressure to improve the efficiency and sustainability of resource use. In other words, how can the sector become more circular? Students taking up this topic will research governance approaches with ambitions to steer towards circular aquaculture systems. Opportunities for fieldwork are global, most likely working through the Global Seafood Alliance or the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch Programme.

Regional (sea)food governance

Sustainable food is commonly governed at the farm scale. However, sustainability requires the management of resources nearly always at spatial scales far greater than the farm. At the same time, production requires collaboration from both (sea)food and non (sea)food producers. And it requires support and collaboration with market actors buying, financing and assuring sustainable production. Students taking up this project will work on both marine and aquatic food systems in Europe and Asia to explore novel ways of bringing these actors together in the joint assessment of sustainability.

Capabilities for food system transformation

Food systems require transformations in the way a wider range of actors perform production, trade and consumption. We increasingly recognise that the practices of these actors combine in different ways to either block of support sustainability. However, we are less clear on the capability of these actors to change their practices. This line of research builds on the Blue Food Assessment carried out in 2021 to explore the effect finance, regulation and market standards have on the capability of actors in the food system to adopt sustainable practices.

simon.bush@wur.nl

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Keywords

Marine protected areas, coral reefs, conservation & restoration, fisheries, aquaculture, citizen science, knowledge co-production, indigenous knowledge, legitimacy, interdisciplinarity

Domains

Science-society-policy interface, knowledge co-production

About

Eira has a background in the natural sciences (marine biology, fisheries and aquaculture) and a passion for marine governance issues. She is interested in a wide range of research methods and is keen to learn new theories to expand her understanding of human-nature interactions, with a focus on knowledge co-production in the context of marine governance.

Thesis topics

Coastal/marine ecosystem restoration

Students may explore topics ranging from i) how marine ecological restoration is defined and restoration goals are implemented in a specific case; ii) development of evaluation frameworks for ecological restoration; iii) the role of citizen science in restoration; iv) participatory approaches; v) or the science-policy interface in restoration governance of various ecosystem types in diverse geographical locations.

Coastal/marine local & indigenous knowledge in biodiversity governance

Local and indigenous knowledge is often relegated or ignored in (global) biodiversity assessments and negotiations. Students are invited to investigate one of the following lines of enquiry: i) a case study examining how the participatory processes within IPBES that encourage more inclusive knowledge production for global assessments have played out in practice, or ii) how has local and indigenous knowledge being used in defining the CBD’s agenda to 2050, in particular regarding coastal or marine issues. Other topics are also possible, based on students’ own interests.

Colonial legacies in marine conservation/restoration, fisheries or aquaculture governance

Topics depending on students’ own interests.

eira.carballocardenas@wur.nl

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Keywords

Consumption; social practices; everyday life; urban initiatives; social practices

Domains

(un)sustainable consumption; everyday life; household consumption; social differentiation; future visions and imaginaries; daily mobility practices, everyday food consumption, domestic energy, circular society

About

Mary Greene is a critical geographer and sociologist specialising in the sociological study of (un)sustainable consumption. With a passion for understanding the intricate interplay between everyday life and social systems, she employs theories of social practice and deep qualitative methods to analyse the evolution of consumption practices over time. Mary's research explores consumption practices across time and space, including across temporal scales of generations, historical periods, daily life schedules, and biographic life courses, as well as across societal spaces, encompassing various social groups and cultural contexts. Currently, Mary is involved in several research projects that encompass the following themes.

Thesis topics

Consumption in the Circular Society

This research area critically examines the transition from linear 'take-make-waste' economies to circular economies. While circular economy (CE) agendas have primarily focused on technical and production aspects, Mary's work fills a critical gap by investigating the social dynamics of circular consumption. Her ongoing research explores how circular consumption practices (e.g., reducing, reusing, repairing, sharing) emerge and are supported within households and society.

Key aspects

· The role of circular initiatives (e.g., repair and share initiatives) in promoting circular consumption practices.

· Factors influencing citizen participation in CE initiatives.

· Factors shaping the adoption of circular practices within households.

· Socially varied capacities for everyday engagement in circular practices.

· Exploration of everyday futures and imaginaries related to circular consumption.

Changing Consumption Practices

This research theme delves into the transformation of everyday consumption practices. Mary investigates how consumption practices evolve due to life course transitions, social change, and disruptive events.

Key questions

· How do consumption practices change as individuals progress through different life stages or experience significant life events? · What are the generational shifts in consumption practices?

· How do changes in systems of provision impact daily consumption practices?

· How can societal disruptions, including pandemics and geopolitical unrest, offer insights into the evolution of consumption practices?

Consumption Transformations in the Global South

Against the backdrop of rapid urbanisation and profound political-economic changes in the Global South, this research theme centres on understanding everyday dynamics of consumption transformations in developing settings. Mary's research in this area analyses changing consumption practices in domains such as food, energy, and mobility among emerging middle-class and urban

poor consumers in African and Asian contexts.

Key elements

· Adaptations in consumption practices by emerging middle-class consumers in response to urbanization and economic growth. · Drivers of changing consumption patterns among urban poor populations in rapidly urbanising regions.

· The influence of systemic factors, including political-economic conditions, on everyday consumption practices.

· Implications of consumption transformations for sustainability and social equity in the Global South.    

mary.greene@wur.nl

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Keywords

Global environmental and climate governance, anticipatory governance of novel technologies, transparency and accountability

Domains

Regimes, technologies

About

Aarti’s research focuses on the international politics of global environmental and climate governance, including the role of science, knowledge, and transparency. She is also interested in the challenges of anticipatory governance of novel technologies, such as solar geoengineering. Her background is in international relations, political science and science and technology studies.

Thesis topics & projects

Transparency, accountability and equity in global sustainability and climate governance

Transparency is increasingly seen as key to global environmental and climate governance and politics. Transparency, understood as information disclosure, is assumed to be essential to more accountable and effective governance. Yet does transparency fulfil this promise? My research examines whether and how transparency is a transformative force in global environmental governance: whether it furthers accountability of powerful actors and enhances trust? Or rather, whether it might it also become a form of surveillance and control, and disempowerment of the already vulnerable. MSc thesis projects on this topic can focus on: (a) the ever-growing role for ‘enhanced’ transparency in the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and whether transparency stimulates more ambitious climate action as widely assumed; (b) the role for digitally enabled ‘radical transparency’ generated through satellites, and its role in politics and governance; and (c) mandatory versus voluntary transparency in global governance, and the diverse consequences for equitable and effective outcomes.

This topic is related to the TRANSGOV project; it is also related to the PhD projects of Robert Bergsvik, Max van Deursen and Nila Kamil.

Anticipatory governance of solar geoengineering and other risky technologies and activities: Key challenges and ways forward

Solar geoengineering refers to a set of speculative technologies that have the potential to reflect some incoming sunlight back out into space, as a way to counteract the adverse effects of anthropogenic climate change. How are such speculative and potentially highly risky technologies being governed, in an anticipatory manner? MSc thesis projects on this topic can focus on: (a) the geopolitics of anticipatory governance of solar geoengineering, including the (minimal) involvement of developing countries; (b) the role of scientific experts in shaping the solar geoengineering governance debate and directions; (c) restrictive versus enabling governance mechanisms that are or should be in place to shape decision making in this area; and (d) lessons learned for solar geoengineering governance from already existing precedents in international law, relating to global governance regimes that prohibit, for e.g., transboundary trade in hazardous substances, use of chemical or biological weapons, mining in Antarctica, deep sea bed mining, human cloning or use of anti-personal land mines.

This topic is related to the Solar geoengineering Non-Use Agreement project, and to the REIMAGINE project on anticipatory climate governance and to the PhD project of Karlijn Muiderman.

aarti.gupta@wur.nl

Projects: TRANSGOV; REIMAGINE

Solar geoengineering Non-Use Agreement

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Keywords

Digital technologies, social practices, citizen participation, digitalised environmental governance, justice, socio-material approaches

Domain

Practices, energy and digital technologies, future visions and imaginaries, algorithmic governance, environmental citizenship, justice

About

Sanneke is an environmental sociologist interestedin emerging digital technologies and their implications for the governance ofsustainable production and consumption practices. Thematically, her workfocuses on sustainability transitions in energy and mobility. Theoretically, her work builds on practice theory, digital sociology,  and science and technology studies

Thesis topics & projects

Digital devices for sustainable consumption

In recent years, many digital tools, apps, and platforms have been developed with the aim of increasing the accessibility and convenience of new, more sustainable consumption practices and lifestyles. Examples are car-sharing apps and digital platforms for food and energy provisioning. This research builds on theories of social practice to investigate how digital tools and apps can facilitate the emergence and embedding of sustainable practices in the domain of food, energy, or mobility

AI for Sustainability

Technologies such as AI and Digital Twins are increasingly used for sustainability purposes. This research critically analyses how companies, NGOs, and governmental organisations imagine the role of AI in better understanding and addressing environmental issues, and how they seek to shape the direction of these new developments.

This topic connects to the following projects: AI and the European Green Deal, Responsible Development of Digital Twins

Making Energy Futures

New digital and energy technologies are used to create visions for a sustainable future. This research critically interrogates the promises around these technologies, as well as the ways in which these technologies are experimented with in cities, energy communities, and homes.

This topic connects to the PhD research of Iryna Lunevich

Social-Spatial Energy Justice

This topic is related to two running PhD projects on the governance of the energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe. We study and design how new forms of participation may contribute to energy justice, and the abatement of energy poverty. In our projects we try to “spatialize” the energy justice discussion in terms of spatial distribution and recognition and the inclusion of landscapes in the design and implementation of renewable energy artefacts. www.JustRes.org

sanneke.kloppenburg@wur.nl

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Keywords

Nature & agriculture, nature in cities, communication and municipal policies, human-nature relationships and nature policy, social learning and education, Dutch municipal policy making

Domains

Social practices, discourses and value orientations, institutions, social learning

About

As emeritus fellow of the ENP group, I am engaged in teaching, research, and thesis supervision. My main sociological work explores the relationships between nature and society and between natural and social sciences. In addition, I have a deep interest in social learning as foundation of a democratic and sustainable society.

Thesis topics & projects

The projects below are personal research projects that I pursue for reasons of scientific interest and societal engagement. If you are interested, I can provide literature references. The projects below are formulated in broad and general terms and would need a specific focus to be researchable in a thesis project. Such specification will be based on students' specific interests.

Nature perceptions and values

Human-nature relationships are a most fascinating topic, not only in ecology, but perhaps even more from a social science angle. Why do people appreciate and care for nature? How do natural science, ethics, and aesthetics mix in the ecological movement? What are pathways towards a more consequential and socially inclusive engagement with nature?

Social learning, sustainability, democracy

The quality of a democratic society hinges on the capacities of its citizens. Education and social learning are pivotal in this respect. How can we gear education and learning to democratic environmental action, for example with regard to the climate crisis?

Municipal policies

Municipalities are places where environmental policies touch the ground, and generic principles meet concrete practices. How can municipalities improve in achieving sustainability and citizen engagement?

kris.vankoppen@wur.nl

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Keyword

Sustainable tourism, nature conservation, coastal and marine, polar regions,

Domains

Practices, regimes

About

Machiel is interested in the governance of sustainable tourism. Environmental change and nature conservation in coastal and marine destinations, including both the Arctic and Antarctic region, the Caribbean and Indonesia. Theoretically and conceptually he aims to apply and build the sociology of environmental mobilities and flows, as well as practice theory approaches

Thesis topics & projects

Governing resilience in vulnerable marine tourism destinations

Coastal regions and islands are among the most popular tourist destinations and highly dependent on tourist flows. At the same time, they are also highly vulnerable to global and regional environmental change, such as marine pollution, weather extremes, sea level rise, Sargassum, marine plastic and water scarcity. There is still a dearth of knowledge on what vulnerable tourism destinations can do to decrease their vulnerability and build resilience, and how various adaptive measures relate and interact. What adaptation measures or policies contribute to reducing environmental vulnerabilities, and how do such measures affect other societal or environmental interests, including cultural heritage, marine protected areas or coastal livelihoods?

This topic is related to the INREEF project, the FOCUS project and the SALIENSEAS project

Fostering environmental stewardship in polar tourism

The development of tourism in the Polar Regions has seen both rapid growth and diversification as well as sharp but temporary declines in times of crisis. For over two decades, scholars and policymakers have raised concerns about the actual and potential risks and impacts of polar tourism development, for instance, on the natural environment, on heritage, wilderness values, and scientific operations. Despite 40 years of scholarship, the results from impact assessments and governance analysis tend to be mixed, inconclusive and ambiguous in terms of costs and benefits, providing insufficient evidence for policy making. Consequently, enhancements in environmental standards and performance rely to a large extent on the goodwill and efforts of operators and other actors. To what extent, and how, can environmental stewardship be assessed, enhanced, and facilitated among the different actors and institutions involved in the operation and governance of polar tourism.

This topic is related to the ANTARC-SHIP project

machiel.lamers@wur

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Keywords

Plastic pollution and circularity, producer stewardship, plastic flows and networks, reflexivity and learning, blue economy, social license to operate, (deep) sea mining

Domains

Sociology of network and flows, reflexive modernization and governance, industrial transformations and circularity

About

My research focuses on how policy concepts and instruments stimulate both public and corporate actors to become more reflexive in governing marine pollutants and activities and how this leads to transformative change. I study how environmental information disclosure mechanisms, social license to operate, blue economy, product stewardship and circular economy reduce plastic pollution, change the shipping and resource extractive industry.

Thesis topics & projects

Governing circular plastic transitions

Circular plastic economy refers to closing plastic loops and is framed as a solution for the growing use and pollution from plastic. Across the globe, both companies and policy makers seek ways to enable circular ways of production, use and disposal. However circular transformations are shaped by socio-political dynamics and is daunting as it requires change throughout both production, use and end-of-life networks. Students can contribute to scrutinizing how such systemic change is governed and influenced by differing socio-political (power) dynamics in e.g. the EU and South-east Asia.

Governing decarbonisation of shipping

The need to decarbonize is putting unprecedented pressure onto the shipping industry and its main regulator, the International Maritime Organization. Climate change decision-making for shipping is known to be slow, technocratic and focused on energy-efficiency rather than decarbonization. New private standards, market and information-based initiatives have emerged to stimulate decarbonization. How these will foster decarbonization of a competitive, fragmented and reactive sector remains to be seen. Students can evaluate how new initiatives foster reflexivity and change within the industry and regulatory institutions involved in decarbonizing shipping.

Reflexive marine governance for the blue economy

Blue economy and increase of resource extraction activities are contested, because they result in unsustainable economic development and resource use. Reorientated and redirected governance through reflexive learning processes could help deal with the environmental and social effects of blue economy. Research into how reflexivity comes about and how this changes marine governance and capabilities of actors is, however, scare. Student can study processes of reflexive marine governance within the blue economy, for sand and deep sea mining and pollutants like (micro)plastics.

judith.vanleeuwen@wur.nl

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Moving sustainable shipping forward

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Keywords

Climate change, international relations, carbon removal, climate engineering, climate-food policy nexus

Domains

Institutions, technologies

About

Ina is interested in global governance and policy making in the area of climate change mitigation, adaptation and remediation. Her background is in political science and international relations, and includes an interest in the science-policy interface. Theoretically, her work engages with authority, legitimacy, norm emergence and political agency in complex institutional systems.

Thesis topics & projects

The politics of ‘climate engineering’

As the impacts of climate change are worsening, methods of large-scale climate intervention to actively control regional or global temperature are being suggested. This project aims to better understand how concepts like ‘climate engineering’ or ‘geoengineering’ are affecting politics and decision making in real-world settings. How do different actors engage with these concepts? In which societal arenas are they becoming relevant? How do they interact with other forms of climate policy, including emissions reductions or climate adaptation?

Governance implications of ‘net zero’ and negative emissions technologies

The Paris Agreement and the latest reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlight the need to reach ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050. Many actors are naming the possibility of atmospheric carbon dioxide removal as a component of their individual climate strategy. Cumulatively, this reliance on ‘negative emissions technologies’ could have serious social and environmental impacts. How are public and private actors envisioning the use of NETs, and how do they account for potential environmental, social and political side-effects?

The climate-food policy nexus

Climate and food policy are becoming increasingly interdependent. Food production needs to reduce its impact on the climate and needs to adapt to a changing environment. Meanwhile, climate policy requires resources for renewable energy and carbon removal, which will in turn affect possibilities for food production. How do these two policy areas interact in current decision making? What are the institutional dynamics at play? What can we learn from pioneering examples of policy integration at the climate-food nexus?

ina.moller@wur.nl

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Keywords

Marine restoration, politics of care, knowledge pluralism, ocean justice, worldviews, ethnography, mobile methods

Domains

 Marine anthropology, science & technology studies, feminist & postcolonial studies, multispecies ethnography, political ontology 

About

Annet is interested in marine conservation and restoration, focusing on contestation and collaboration between different ways of knowing, valuing and caring for marine nature, particularly coral and oyster reefs. Her background is in environmental anthropology and science & technology studies, combining mobile and visual ethnography with feminist and posthuman theory.  

Thesis topics & projects 

Communities and environmental justice in marine restoration  

Restoration initiatives are surging globally to reverse the on-going decline of ocean health. This comes with a range of innovative approaches to scale up restoration efforts, e.g. biotech interventions to breed ‘super corals’, artificial reefs, voluntourism networks to re-plant mangroves or rehabilitate sea turtles. Yet restoration interventions also risk perpetuating deep-seated inequalities and colonial relations, especially in the Global South. High-tech solutions may displace/disrupt local livelihoods or indigenous ways of knowing and relating to the sea. Thesis projects could investigate power relations involved in restoration interventions, their implications for local communities, or the conditions for just and community-based (upscaling of) marine restoration. Geographical focus: established network in Indonesia, Cape Verde  

The future of past reefs: politics of care in oyster restoration 

There is increasing interest in bringing back oyster reefs that once covered large stretches of the temperate zone. Reef restoration involves practices of caring and repairing, assuming human intervention to design and re-store nature. This raises the political question: what is a good reef to restore for the future, and for whom? Thesis projects may investigate the different values, world views and/or knowledge that come together in restoration and which ones are included or excluded in the process, thereby generating new insights in how to restore reefs in ways that are inclusive and based on co-productive processes. Field work could be done in oyster restoration initiatives in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, or a combination.    

Plural visions of nature in the North Sea food/energy transition 

The North Sea is undergoing a (sea)food and energy (windmills parks) transition, while there are also increasing calls to protect and restore marine biodiversity. Nature inclusive aquaculture development and wind park design, supported by new digital and bio-technologies are promising integrative approaches. Yet what biodiversity is desired, according to what principles, for what purposes and how to measure it, often remains implicit. Thesis projects could explore the different visions of nature that underpin nature-inclusive approaches, the science-policy relations involved, and mechanisms for inclusive multi-stakeholder involvement in North Sea biodiversity governance. The topic links to BeWild, ECOAMARE & CIRCAQUA projects.  

Annet.Pauwelussen@wur.nl  

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Publications

Keywords

Marine spatial planning (MSP), governance and management, coastal climate adaptation, power dynamics, process transparency, participation.

Domains

Formal and informal governance, participatory processes, the role of communities.

About

Glen is a social scientist who specialises in the governance of various natural resource management systems, with a particular focus on planning. This includes marine spatial planning, the planning of coastal climate change adaptation (land-sea interface), and planning as a tool to help manage flood risk (from all sources). From a theoretical perspective he is interested in the governance of sustainability transitions, notions of space and the creation of space, and political ecology. Geographically he has experience with cases in Scotland, Ireland, England, Norway, and Canada.

Thesis topics & projects

Thinking the unthinkable

In the context of climate change, it has been said in England that "very few coastal local planning authorities seem prepared to ‘think the unthinkable’ and limit new development in the already developed coastal zone" (The Planner). This problem extends to other countries and their planning authorities. Often systems do not allow for the kind of adaptive thinking that the pace of climate change demands. How do we think the unthinkable in planning? What are the governance requirements for this? How do we incorporate the views of those who have experience with coastal change, or who have novel ideas? How might we better integrate marine and land use planning systems?

Radical marine spatial planning

When compared to land use planning (LUP), marine spatial planning (MSP) is relatively young. Over the decades LUP systems have been reformed and improved. Common themes are the involvement of communities, participatory processes, the transparency of decision-making processes, and the consideration of the wider benefits (or disbenefits) of the use and access to space and resources. Recent research suggests that these considerations did not play a big role in the design of MSP systems. Path-dependency, overly technocratic thinking, and a lack of understanding of the causes of spatial or resource conflicts have resulted in some less-than-ideal outcomes for MSP. Radical MSP considers how this might be improved. For example, how can processes be more democratic and how can (coastal) communities benefit more from MSP?

Glen.smith@wur.nl

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Keywords

(Renewable) energy transition, energy policy, practices, carbon markets

Domains

Practices, technologies

About

Mattijs is interested in (renewable) energy policy and politics, environment, sustainability, (rural) development and carbon markets. His background is in human geography, development and science and technology studies. Theoretically his work engages with political ecology, practice theory, transition theory, and related approaches.

Thesis topics & projects

Engaging with renewable energy technology and landscapes

To reach the Paris climate agreement and national sustainability targets, more and more people will be confronted with solar panels, wind turbines and other technologies in their ‘back yard’ in rural and urban areas. To address possible concerns and facilitate co-production of renewable energy projects, there is a need to go beyond ‘organised participation’ (informing local stakeholders about renewable energy projects to gain acceptance). This shift will require (new) forms of engagement with renewable energy projects at various stages of development.

This topic is related to two ongoing EU projects: UPWARDS and zEHPYR

This topic is linked to the work of the following PhDs: Helena Solman and Iryna Lunevich

The politics and practices of carbon market mechanisms in a post-Paris world

Market-based mechanisms have taken up a prominent role in the mitigation of climate change. An increasing number of these carbon markets are emerging at global, regional, national, and even local scales worldwide, including in the Global South. However, their function, mutual interaction, and contribution to sustainable energy development remain poorly understood. What is their role in the broader context of climate (and energy) policies and politics? What is their relation to sustainable development (goals)? How do they influence local practices?

NGOs and environmental movements in climate and energy transitions

Climate and energy issues increasingly become the site of heated controversies, e.g. climate policies and projects, the siting of coal-fired or nuclear power stations, and renewable energy projects. In these controversies, environmental movements can play a central role, highlighting what is at stake in these developments. How can we study these environmental movements and their practices? How do they transform something into a ‘matter of concern’? What is the influence of movements on local, national and global climate and energy policy and vice versa?

mattijs.smits@wur.nl

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Keywords

Transdisciplinary research, decision-making, simulations, tourism, biodiversity, water, dynamic vulnerability approaches,

Domains

Transdisciplinary approaches, dynamic vulnerability assessments, mobilities, serious gaming, simulations, sustainable tourism

About

Jillian is interested in approaches that explore future uncertainties and engage with a variety of stakeholders to create anticipatory visions of emerging vulnerabilities to improve decision-making processes.

Thesis topics & projects

Simulating emerging environmental challenges

This project is a continuation of research of dynamic vulnerability approaches and focuses on the interplay between tourism flows, water issues, and biodiversity in the contexts of coastal, urban or alpine destinations. Serious game development is a tool used to explore to better understand emerging vulnerabilities and the future-looking anticipatory decision-making in response to individual actions combined with environmental change. Full article: A dynamic vulnerability approach for tourism destinations (tandfonline.com)

Transdisciplinary approaches for improving anticipatory decision-making

Co-creating local understanding of future challenges by applying different transdisciplinary techniques to changes such as slow-emerging and quick onset climate change-related events and anthropogenic local challenges (e.g. waste, land use change). Applying this dynamic understanding to improve decision-making on future events. See related website: Transdisciplinary research.

jillian.student@wur.nl

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Transdisciplinary research WIMEK

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Keywords

information, informational processes/systems, aquaculture, fisheries, governance indicators, mixed methods

Domains

Informational governance, scaping, capabilities, collaborative arrangements, value chains

About

Hilde’s research focuses on the ways in which information shapes governance to enable sustainable transformations in the Blue Food domain (marine fisheries and aquaculture). She studies innovative, non-state-market-based arrangements. Her theoretical interests are informational governance theory and capabilities thinking. Hilde likes to apply, and experiment with, mixed method approaches.

Thesis Topics & Projects

Blue Food Governance in the Information Age

Blue Food is a relatively new term to refer to all captured and farmed marine and freshwater animals, plants and algae used for consumption, fundamental for the needs of a growing human population. Blue food production (fisheries, aquaculture) demand space yet marine space is increasingly put under pressure, ecologically and through increase of other uses. Information plays a key role in negotiations and decisions over space. While this is not new in itself, there is a shift in both means and ways by which information shape marine environmental governance, particularly connected to (joint) actions by non-state actors, such as NGOs, seafood certification organizations, and technology and information providers. Students can contribute by analysing how capabilities and collaborations affect informational processes in addressing spatial-environmental challenges in the Blue Food domain.

This topic is linked to the work of the following PhDs: Sake Kruk and Puspi Wiranthi.

Aquaculture Governance Indicators (AGI)

The Aquaculture Governance Indicators project is developed around a set of 26 indicators across four governance dimensions that form the basis of assessing aquaculture performance with a focus on understanding the underlying social processes, practices, and interactions among civil, public, and private actors. Assessing aquaculture governance is about analysing the ways in which regulatory systems, voluntary codes and standards, and joint projects and activities are organized around the identification of environmental issues and response to solving problems. Students can choose to use (a selected set) of AGIs to dive into questions around legitimacy, effectuation, collaboration, coordination, learning, science-policy interface, for a specific species in a specific countries (thesis project). Students can also work within the project, supporting the assessment work and engagement with industry, government and societal actors (research practice/internship).

This topic is linked to the work of the following Post-doc: Furqan Asif

More info: www.aquaculturegovernance.org

PADDLE

PADDLE (Planning in A liquiD world with tropicaL StakEs: solutions from an EU-Africa-Brazil perspective) is a EU RISE-funded research program, involving European partners, and associate partners from Brazil, Cape Verde and Senegal. The objective of PADDLE is to analyse opportunities and limits of marine spatial planning (MSP) in Tropical Atlantic by sharing, integrating and developing knowledge among academics and practitioners. Students can take multiple angles to study tropical MSP, such as local case studies, governance dynamics in a transboundary, North-South Atlantic context, and the response to the paradigm of MSP in the Global South.

This topic is linked to the work of the following PhD: Xander Keijser

OR ELSE

OR ELSE (Operational Recommendations for Ecosystem-based Large-scale Sand Extraction) is a NWO-funded, interdisciplinary project which centres around the implications of increased sand extraction for fisheries in the Dutch North Sea. Focus is the development of a digital twin, a real-time data system, representing large-scale sand extraction, accompanied by a serious game, serving as an information-based governance tool to support dialogue and decision-making. Students with an interest in the way in which serious gaming enables cross-sectoral collaboration and strengthens coordination can contact Hilde to discuss ideas.

Other ENP staff involved in this project are: Judith van Leeuwen, Simon Bush.

This topic is linked to the work of a Post-doc and a PhD (both starting mid-January 2023.

This topic is also linked to the work of the following PhD: Xander Keijser

Hilde.toonen@wur.nl

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Keywords

Urban Infrastructures, (water, energy, sanitation and waste), social practice; participation, urban governance, sustainability transitions

Domains

Social practice theory, sustainability transitions, science and technology studies

About

I have always been intrigued by how efforts towards sustainability affect the relations between users and urban infrastructures. My research interests include socio-technical analysis of urban infrastructure design, management and consumption in Europe, Africa and Asia with an emphasis on energy, drinking water, waste and sanitation. I have employed and developed theories of governance, participation and social practice in this respect.

Thesis topics & projects

Social-Spatial Energy Justice

This topic is related to two running PhD projects on the governance of the energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe. We study and design how new forms of participation may contribute to energy justice, and the abatement of energy poverty. In our projects we try to “spatialize” the energy justice discussion in terms of spatial distribution and recognition and the inclusion of landscapes in the design and implementation of renewable energy artefacts.

www.JustRes.org

Governing the Urban Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Sustainability in the production and consumption of food, water and energy would require an integrated approach to governance where synergies and trade-offs between them are appropriately dealt with. The water-energy-food nexus can be located at various levels along the chain of production and consumption and likewise at different levels of governance. Thesis research may be focussed on studying the WEF nexus at consumption levels (employing a social practice theory lens) or higher up in the systems of provision (from a governance perspective) in any part of the world. A new project on synergies and trade-offs between Sustainability Development Goals in East Africa, with a focus on the WEF nexus in Uganda offers opportunities to build upon.

Project Governing SDG Interactions

Participation in design of multi-purpose solar energy fields

Wageningen Environmental Research has been commissioned by the province of Gelderland to investigate ways to combine solar energy plants with agriculture and nature functions (AgriPhotoVoltaics) in a number of pilot solar plants in Gelderland, WUR researchers will study ecological, agricultural and energy impacts of various combinations as well as new modes of participation of stakeholders in and around solar fields. ENP thesis research may join forces with the project’s PhD candidate to study participation in decision making about siting, implementation and operation of the solar plants.

Bas.vanvliet@wur.nl

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Keywords

Food, practices, governance, sustainability

Domains

Practices, technologies

About

Sigrid is interested in processes of societal transformation with a focus on advancing global food system sustainability. Her research departs from situated perspectives on socio-technical transformations in which evolving practices and arrangements locally are tightly interlinked with the national and global scale. Projects across Asia, Africa and Europe revolve around the relationship between urbanization, food provisioning and food consumption.

Thesis topics & projects

Feeding the city of the future

Cities face the pressing issue of creating a sustainable and healthy food system. An important strategy is the creation of ‘city-region-food-systems’ by shortening food supply chains. However, ideas on how to realise this are divergent, ranging from community gardens to vertical farms. This raises various questions e.g.: Who decides on the urban transformation pathways? What are the future imaginaries and underlying assumptions that drive the emergent initiatives? To what extend are novel arrangements able to transform food production-consumption practices?

Inclusive governance of food system transformations

How to achieve an inclusive food system that ensures healthy, sustainable food options are avialable, accessible and affordable for all citizens? This question regards bottom-up approaches and the inclusion of lived experiences in food system transformations. The topic focusses on how to engage with a diversity of citizens and stakeholders in co-creating a food environment that facilitates healthy and sustainable food behaviour for all.

Changing food consumption practices

This topic concerns the question on how to bring about changes in food consumption practices for advancing food system sustainability, from a social practices theoretical perspective. Allowing for various research angles, e.g.: assessing the role of (i) culture and tradition, (ii) future imaginaries, and (iii) disruptive events in practice de-and re-routinization. Suggestion: understanding student food practices: how students develop food practices when leaving home and engaging in a multi-cultural student environment.

Digitization and trust in transforming food systems

Eroding confidence in the dominant food system is attributed to the complexity of the global food system and the distance between production and consumption. Food regulation has become less unequivocal and articulate citizens demand a greater. Parallel, more localised food systems emerge in which the degree of citizen participation and the way in which trust is organised, are set-up differently. There is a distinction between consumer trust based on personalised information, that is facilitated by closer relationships between a producer and consumer, and trust in supply chains that do not use face-to-face channels. To what extend and in what way may digital technologies proof instrumental to improve information flows and reinforce credibility and integrity-based trust in food networks?

Research topics relate to various ongoing projects and publications

sigrid.wertheimheck@wur.nl

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Keywords

Globalization, political ecology, forestry, wildlife, ethnography, China, Africa

Domains

Practices, political ecology

About

Annah studies globalization and the environment with a specific focus on global China and China in Africa. Her background is in political ecology and human geography. Theoretically, her work engages with critical political economy and post-structural critiques in the qualitative social sciences.

Thesis topics & projects

Reforestation/afforestation in China and abroad

China plants more trees than the rest of the world combined. Massive reforestation projects have made the country the leading contributor to “global greening” trends, leaving China with far more planted forests than any other country in the world. This type of large-scale tree planting has recently been said to have “mind-blowing potential” to tackle climate change and is, according to models, “overwhelmingly more powerful than all other climate change solutions proposed.” China is steadily planting billions of trees, domestically and now abroad. This research explores China’s large-scale global reforestation investments in order to better understand the unique role China will play in forestry and climate governance in the 21st Century.

Great Green Walls in China and Africa

China and Africa both have massive projects to combat desertification and adapt to climate change, referred to as “Great Green Walls.” In China, the project runs across the entire northern region of the country to serve as a buffer against the encroaching Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts. In Africa, the project runs across the entire Sahel region from Senegal to Djibouti. This research examines the governance and implementation of these massive projects.

Wildlife management in China post COVID-19

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, wildlife management has become a global priority for both health and conservation reasons. China has enacted a number of new regulations to safeguard the trade in wild animals, including bans and restrictions. Wildlife trade for food consumption, however, continues with certain species, especially amphibians and aquatic reptiles. This research examines ongoing developments in China’s wildlife policies in order to secure better health and conservation outcomes.

The topic is linked to the work of PhD student, Jin Qian.

annah.zhu@wur.nl

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About PhD topic & project

Digital technologies such as satellites, sensors and smartphones are increasingly considered to be key instruments in promoting more sustainable aquatic food systems. For instance, satellites remotely monitor food production from space, near-field sensors collect data which is analysed by algorithms to provide recommendations to food producers, and digital platforms enable data sharing between aquatic food system actors. This increased digitalization in aquatic food systems is changing the way in which organizations attempt to achieve sustainability outcomes, and also reorganizes the relations within food systems with for example a more prominent role for technology providers.

Students can contribute to a critical reflection into how digital technologies are reconfiguring the ways in which data about sustainability issues are collected, made sense of, and used to inform or even automate decision-making. Examples of cases include aquaculture farm management applications and platforms, global sustainability databases and/or sustainability certifications such as ASC using digital technologies for assurance.

About PhD topic & project

My research focuses on sustainable small-scale fisheries, especially on capture fisheries in Indonesia. I employ a capabilities approach to expand the lens and better understand how sustainability certifications improve fishers’ capabilities and well-being.

Small-scale fisheries and certification

Small-scale fisheries play a crucial role in fishers’ livelihood. To ensure responsible production and improve market access, many sustainability certifications have evolved and applied certification schemes in developing countries. The certifications usually prescribe specified criteria and provide incentives as a reward for fishers’ compliance. However, many of those incentives cannot be absorbed by small-scale fishers due to many factors, such as lack of capabilities, minimum access to infrastructures, low bargaining power, and conflicting interests along the value chain. Examining how the certifications are implemented and the impacts beyond the content of standards are interesting to be further explored.

puspi.wiranthi@wur.nl

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