SEMINAR Beyond the Green Transition

Welcome to a seminar arranged by the Forest Bioeconomy Network, aiming at promoting cross-sectoral exchange as well as interdisciplinary exchange on the topic of circular bioeconomy.

How do we achieve a sustainable circular bioeconomy? How can research be used to ensure that decision makers do not draw the wrong conclusions and lock assets without understanding overall aims? How can an ambiguous discourse on circular bioeconomy be managed and maintained?

Tentative program:

12.30 – 12.40 Introduction and welcome address – Moderator Camilla Widmark

12.40 – 13.10 Keynote Camilla Sandström

Tentative: Getting the ball rolling on a green transition – how do we walk the thin line of implementation?

Moving from discussion and legislation to action and implementation is a difficult task. The landscape differs and methods for green transition should vary but seldom do. How do we find a way to get everyone on board and engaged? Involving all levels from legislators to implementors has shown to improve the process of getting the ball rolling.

13.10 – 13.40 Keynote Gerhard Weiss

Forest bioeconomy for sustainability transition – potential and contradictions

Forests are one of the most important sources for renewable materials and therefore one of the pillars for a possible future bioeconomy. At the same time, it is also important for biodiversity. For a transition to sustainability, a better use of the biological resource as well as a better conservation of biodiversity is needed. The strategy for this would be “integration”. In the political debate, however, there are growing demands for protected areas and for use of the forest as a carbon sink. The reasons for this contradictory and counterproductive development is seen in an inadequate understanding of sustainability and in the attempt of shifting costs and burdens from industrialized countries and established powerful sectors such as industry and agriculture to the forest.

13.40 – 14.10 Breakout rooms for reflections on the talk

14.10 – 14.30 Final thoughts

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