Ines Omann

Bio: Ines Omann is an academic researcher from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ. The author has contributed to research in topics: Sustainability & Sustainable development. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 37 publications receiving 1470 citations.

The Influence of Social Preferences on Multi- Criteria Evaluation of Energy Scenarios

Abstract: Participatory multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) is increasingly used for the integrated assessment of future scenarios Determining weights of the different criteria constitutes one of the biggest challenges of MCE This paper investigates the influence of weights on the ranking of scenarios and reflects critically on the use of weights as representations of social preferences in participatory MCE Conceptually, this exercise builds on the literature on integrated assessment and decision making under uncertainty; empirically, insights are drawn from two case studies of renewable energy scenario assessment for Austria at the national and local level The analysis exhibits a robust ranking for the local level, especially for the highest ranked scenarios In the national case study, the analysis finds two robust scenario clusters which never switch ranks, whereas the 1 This paper is based on a presentation given at the Participatory Approaches in Science & Technology conference, Edinburgh, June, 4-7, 2006 1

Examining Processes or/and Outcomes? - Evaluation Concepts in European Governance of Natural Resources

Abstract: Effectively evaluating the governance of natural resources is a precondition for its improvement in contexts of change. In order to do so, one can use methods for evaluating (1) the outcome of a governance process, or (2) the governance process itself. Outcome-oriented and process-oriented approaches have different strengths and weaknesses. This paper explores the challenges associated with both options when applied to European biodiversity and water governance – namely the implementation of the Habitats Directive (Natura 2000 network) and the Water Framework Directive. Current evaluation practice, concerned with governance processes for EU policy implementation, focuses mainly on outcomes. In this paper, we examine the methodology involved and argue that, for three reasons, it makes sense to combine both approaches: a normative reason, relating to standards of good governance; a substantive reason, relating to the complexity of the system to be governed; and a third, instrumental reason relating to the task of policy evaluation and implementation itself. Combining outcome- and processoriented evaluation of governance processes is not without caveats, but it appears a promising approach in the light of current problems in European governance of natural resources.

Assessing the quality of different MCDA methods

Abstract: The awareness that environmental problems have a large impact on the economy and society has risen continuously during the last three decades. Lifting sustainable development to the political agenda nurtured the understanding that policy analysis is characterized by conflicting economic, environmental, societal, technical, and aesthetic objectives. Consequently numerous research projects on the interdependence of environment, society and economy were conducted in this period. With increasing knowledge about the economic and environmental processes and their interlinkages, it became clear that decisions about environmental problems are especially characterized by uncertainties, high stakes, urgency, and dispute (Funtowicz and Ravetz 1990). These characteristics influence the choice of the method.

Optimization methods applied to renewable and sustainable energy: A review

Abstract: Energy is a vital input for social and economic development. As a result of the generalization of agricultural, industrial and domestic activities the demand for energy has increased remarkably, especially in emergent countries. This has meant rapid grower in the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the increase in fuel prices, which are the main driving forces behind efforts to utilize renewable energy sources more effectively, i.e. energy which comes from natural resources and is also naturally replenished. Despite the obvious advantages of renewable energy, it presents important drawbacks, such as the discontinuity of generation, as most renewable energy resources depend on the climate, which is why their use requires complex design, planning and control optimization methods. Fortunately, the continuous advances in computer hardware and software are allowing researchers to deal with these optimization problems using computational resources, as can be seen in the large number of optimization methods that have been applied to the renewable and sustainable energy field. This paper presents a review of the current state of the art in computational optimization methods applied to renewable and sustainable energy, offering a clear vision of the latest research advances in this field.

Linkages between vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity

Abstract: Cet article analyse les relations conceptuelles (imprecises) de la vulnerabilite, de la resilience et de la capacite d’adaptation aux changements climatiques selon le systeme socio-ecologique (socio-ecologigal systems – SES) afin de comprendre et anticiper le comportement des composantes sociales et ecologiques du systeme. Une serie de questions est proposee par l’auteur sur la specification de ces termes afin de developper une structure conceptuelle qui inclut les dimensions naturelles et so...

Environmental governance: participatory, multi-level - and effective?

Abstract: Current political trends and scholarly research increasingly promote collaborative and participatory governance in multi-level systems as a way to more sustainable and effective environmental policy. Yet empirical findings as well as conceptual works from different academic fields remain ambiguous about this claim. This paper explores whether and to what extent the existence of multiple levels of governance affects the ability of participatory decision-making to deliver high quality environmental policy output and to improve implementation and compliance. To this end, findings from the literature on multi-level governance, public participation and policy implementation as well as on complex systems are integrated in five sets of hypotheses. In order to put these to a ‘plausibility probe’, a meta-analysis of 47 case studies from Northern America and Western Europe is conducted. These cases provide qualitative insights and allow for some generalization in the form of correlation analysis. The study finds that, predominantly, environmental preferences of the involved actors determine the environmental outputs (and outcomes) of decision-making. Further, face-to-face, but not mere two-way, communication appears to positively influence the ecological standard of decisions. The analysis also suggests that a highly polycentric governance system comprising many agencies and levels of governance yields higher environmental outputs than rather monocentric governance. However, correlations between governance effectiveness and decision-making scale, as well as policy delivery and institutional fit to ecosystem, could not be identified. The paper concludes by outlining pathways for more systematic comparative research on these pressing research questions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.