Understanding Citizens' Acceptance of Bio-Based Technologies
Key Highlights :
The global challenges of climate change, population growth, and ecosystem loss have made it necessary to develop innovative production methods in order to tackle them. This has led to the emergence of strategies for a sustainable bioeconomy, which places greater emphasis on using renewable raw materials. However, it is important to ensure that the people who will be affected by these strategies are on board first.
A recent study conducted by three researchers from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn has explored the public's acceptance of two bio-based technologies—biorefineries and aquaponics—and what factors influence their degree of acceptance. The study, titled "Don't forget the locals: Understanding citizens' acceptance of bio-based technologies," was published in the journal Technology in Science.
The researchers surveyed nearly 2,000 people online, half of whom lived in the Rheinische Revier, a region that is currently being transformed into a model region for the bioeconomy and sustainable management as part of the phase-out of fossil fuels. They wanted to determine people's general views on these technologies and how their opinions would change if facilities that use the technologies moved in "next door."
Aquaponics is a technique that combines breeding aquatic animals like fish, crabs and shrimp in a tank ("aquaculture") with growing crops such as tomatoes or herbs in water ("hydroponics"). Bacteria are key players in the process, as they are capable of converting the ammonia excreted by the fish into nitrates, which then provide nutrients for the plants. Excrement from fish farming is thus turned into plant fertilizer, creating a loop. A biorefinery is a facility that processes biomass as comprehensively as possible into various products including chemicals, materials and (bio-)energy. It works in a similar way to an oil refinery, which splits crude oil into its individual components and thus enables each of them to be put to use.
The study found that people's acceptance of these technologies varied depending on whether or not they lived in a region affected by structural change. It also revealed that "NIMBYism"—NIMBY standing for "not in my back yard"—is an issue when it comes to bio-based technologies. Although many people are open to the idea of "green" industry as a basic principle, they are less keen to have it right down their street.
The researchers also established that the degree of acceptance expressed for both technologies was lower in the Rheinische Revier than in the rest of North Rhine-Westphalia. One explanation might be that the people of the Rheinische Revier, whose lives have been shaped by many decades of lignite mining, react with greater sensitivity to new developments and that the impending structural transformation into a bioeconomy is more "real" for the locals in this part of the world.
The study authors found that whether or not people are accepting of new technologies they know little about—such as biorefineries and aquaponics—mainly depends on what feelings and emotions these technologies evoke in them. While the acceptance of aquaponics facilities was influenced most strongly by positive feelings such as happiness and hope, negative sentiments such as fear and concern played a greater role in the case of biorefineries. People's perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks associated with these technologies are also key.
The results of the study suggest that communicating the benefits and risks of planned technologies and getting the public involved from an early stage could help to dispel negative emotions and the perception of riskiness and inject more objectivity into debates on contentious issues. This is essential in order to ensure that innovative production methods are successfully implemented in order to tackle global challenges such as climate change, population growth and ecosystem loss.
