Title:
Combining Historical & Spatial Analysis to Understand the Social Acceptability of Wood-Burning Energy Technologies in the Great Lakes Region, USA
Author(s):
Mittlefehldt, S., Huff, E., Bunting, E., Goodwin, R., Welsh, J.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
The adoption of wood-based energy technologies depends on many factors, including social license to operate, stable wood supply chains, and favorable political conditions. This research combines archival analysis, semi-structured interviews, and spatial analyses to investigate the sociopolitical factors that have led to adoption of wood-burning technologies in Michigan, USA. By combining historical and spatial analysis, this project offers new ways of evaluating the social acceptability of different types of woody biomass technologies, and reveals how social and environmental dynamics from the past constrain technological development into the future. We found that social acceptance of biomass energy technologies was often linked to cultural identity and attitudes towards resource extraction. Communities with higher percentages of forest land cover were more accepting of wood-burning energy technologies, and individuals in those communities tended to view bioenergy development as an important component of rural development. Yet in more urbanized areas, biomass developers tended to face greater opposition. These findings are consistent with research from other communities in the US and the EU. Understanding how communities interact with different types of biofuel applications is important for assessing the sustainability of the bioeconomy.
Keywords:
assessment, sustainability, wood, social aspects
Topic:
Sustainable Bioeconomy: Impacts and Policies
Subtopic:
Sustainability, Socio-Economic Impacts and Public Acceptance
Event:
29th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4CO.8.4
Pages:
1081 - 1085
ISBN:
978-88-89407-21-9
Paper DOI:
10.5071/29thEUBCE2021-4CO.8.4
Price:
FREE
