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The Bioeconomy in Europe: An Overview

McCormick, Kes LU and Kautto, Niina LU (2013) In Sustainability 5(6). p.2589-2608
Abstract
A bioeconomy can be defined as an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals and energy are derived from renewable biological resources. This paper provides an overview of the bioeconomy in Europe, examining it from a policy framework and concept perspective. The role of bioenergy in the bioeconomy is discussed particularly through biofuels for transport and biorefineries. The study finds that the definitions of the bioeconomy are evolving and vary depending on the actor, but display similarities such as the emphasis on economic output and a broad, cross-sectoral focus. While there is great optimism about the benefits and opportunities associated with developing an advanced bioeconomy in Europe, significant risks and... (More)
A bioeconomy can be defined as an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals and energy are derived from renewable biological resources. This paper provides an overview of the bioeconomy in Europe, examining it from a policy framework and concept perspective. The role of bioenergy in the bioeconomy is discussed particularly through biofuels for transport and biorefineries. The study finds that the definitions of the bioeconomy are evolving and vary depending on the actor, but display similarities such as the emphasis on economic output and a broad, cross-sectoral focus. While there is great optimism about the benefits and opportunities associated with developing an advanced bioeconomy in Europe, significant risks and trade-offs are also expressed. Furthermore, the bioeconomy concept has been criticised for presenting a technical fix and pre-empting alternative visions. To advance a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy, this paper calls for attention on two important themes: participatory governance that engages the general public and key stakeholders in an open and informed dialogue as well as a commitment by government and industry to innovation that drives concerted efforts on sustainable development of the bioeconomy. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
bioeconomy, bioenergy, Europe
in
Sustainability
volume
5
issue
6
pages
2589 - 2608
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • wos:000324049400015
  • scopus:84882760245
ISSN
2071-1050
DOI
10.3390/su5062589
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bad5e97a-4570-422b-9076-f328a25c72fc (old id 3810012)
alternative location
http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/6/2589
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:15:03
date last changed
2022-04-21 20:24:24
@article{bad5e97a-4570-422b-9076-f328a25c72fc,
  abstract     = {{A bioeconomy can be defined as an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals and energy are derived from renewable biological resources. This paper provides an overview of the bioeconomy in Europe, examining it from a policy framework and concept perspective. The role of bioenergy in the bioeconomy is discussed particularly through biofuels for transport and biorefineries. The study finds that the definitions of the bioeconomy are evolving and vary depending on the actor, but display similarities such as the emphasis on economic output and a broad, cross-sectoral focus. While there is great optimism about the benefits and opportunities associated with developing an advanced bioeconomy in Europe, significant risks and trade-offs are also expressed. Furthermore, the bioeconomy concept has been criticised for presenting a technical fix and pre-empting alternative visions. To advance a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy, this paper calls for attention on two important themes: participatory governance that engages the general public and key stakeholders in an open and informed dialogue as well as a commitment by government and industry to innovation that drives concerted efforts on sustainable development of the bioeconomy.}},
  author       = {{McCormick, Kes and Kautto, Niina}},
  issn         = {{2071-1050}},
  keywords     = {{bioeconomy; bioenergy; Europe}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{2589--2608}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Sustainability}},
  title        = {{The Bioeconomy in Europe: An Overview}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su5062589}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/su5062589}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}