Reflections on the popularity of the circular bioeconomy concept

I argue that the popularity of the circular bioeconomy concept in policy-making is symptomatic of a profound crisis in sustainability science, which is generated by the adoption of an obsolete scientific paradigm, i.e., obsolete ontologies used to describe our interaction with the external world. Th...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Giampietro, Mario|||0000-0002-5569-7023
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:299040
Acesso em linha:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/299040
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1007/s11625-022-01267-z
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Bio-based economy
Circular economy
Ontological crisis
Paradigm shift
Reflexivity
Post-normal science
Sustainability science
Science and society
SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Descrição
Resumo:I argue that the popularity of the circular bioeconomy concept in policy-making is symptomatic of a profound crisis in sustainability science, which is generated by the adoption of an obsolete scientific paradigm, i.e., obsolete ontologies used to describe our interaction with the external world. The result is a systemic lack of quality control on the science-policy interface. The growing awareness of a pending collapse of our life support systems and the rapidly changing world order would require society to rediscuss its identity. However, current mechanisms of control of the quality of the scientific input used for governance do not allow us to do so. The problem is how to detect and change obsolete scientific paradigms referring to sustainability science. I conclude that a swift move to a new scientific paradigm would require a more reflexive science and a more reflexive society.