Neueste Publikationen von Verena van Zyl-Bulitta
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Abstract: Climate change adaptation concerns mechanisms for responding to local climate change impacts to improve livelihoods of and decrease risks to affected stakeholders. In this article, we present evidence and novel insights from selected climate change adaption cases studies in Sub-Saharan Africa with the aim is to foster awareness and comprehension for local, national and transnational actors, enabling better decision-making, project implementation and policy design. To achieve this, we describe and assess positive spillovers and negative externalities of climate change adaptation. We apply a typology classification to collected case studies related to the occurrence of (un)intended (side) effects. Furthermore, we adapted political economic research on the state-of-the-art ‘4E’– method (representing enclosure,
exclusion, encroachment, entrenchment) evident in the literature and case study applications to fit our research
questions. The factors we found relevant for explaining the typology include collaboration across scales, data
availability and learning, bottom-up involvement/participation. We also formulated the positive counterpart of each of
the four E dimensions. One finding was that the category lose-win, where the intended goal was not achieved, yet a
positive spillover occurred, would be more likely to emerge with the factors ‘bottom-up participation’ as well as
‘learning across scales’ being present.
Abstract: In response to the construction sector’s contribution to the climate crisis and exacerbation of social inequalities, we explore sustainable alternatives in building construction, informed by the illustrative case study of the Polycare
construction system. A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) shows that the ecological footprint of circularity-oriented buildings
based on polymer concrete is significantly lower than that of conventional cement concrete buildings. Despite the
drawbacks of polymer concrete, its high-performance properties and the possibility to integrate secondary materials in
its recipe can result in a reduced carbon footprint. When coupled with design-embedded modularity that facilitates
circular processes, buildings similar to those in the case study demonstrate potential for transitioning towards
comprehensive sustainable building practices. Further, we discuss how this sustainability potential could be enhanced,
drawing from interviews with Polycare’s stakeholders and key literature findings. We provide a set of proposals
anchored in the argument that threefold “circularity, localisation, and openness” is vital for sustainable and affordable
alternatives, with openness being a crucial element for fostering innovation, adaptability, and scalability in building
processes.