The fact that nuclear waste is a problem waiting to be solved is perceived to be a matter of common sense worldwide. Nonetheless, the negative aspects of nuclear waste disposal often dominate public debate. This is also true in the German case of a currently planned deep geological repository (DGR) for high-level nuclear waste (HLW). In studies about risk and benefit perception one may wonder whether the positive aspects proposed by the literature are really part of people's mental models. To date, any positive aspects that the German public associates with a DGR are unknown. In this bottom-up study, we explored the German public's positive perceptions of a DGR based on a sample of N = 2,490 survey respondents in 2022. Our most compelling finding was that while some citizens viewed the resolution of the nuclear waste problem as a key benefit of a DGR, the majority either provided no positive feedback or explicitly stated that there were no benefits. Although workplaces and financial incentives are benefits recognized in existing literature, these were not prominent in our sample. Moreover, there was a clear association between the perceptions of risks and mentioned benefits: individuals who perceived high risks identified fewer positive aspects, whereas those with low-risk perception proposed more benefits. Interestingly, some respondents demonstrated ambivalence, recognizing both moderate risks and positive aspects of a DGR. Our findings indicate many people's tendency to focus on the risks associated with a DGR, overshadowing its potential benefits - a result aligning with the availability heuristic, where risks are more salient in public debate about nuclear waste. This suggests that in discussions typically framed around risks, mentioning benefits might seem inappropriate. We propose that discussing the tradeoffs between a DGR and the status quo, particularly surface storage, could broaden the conversation. Emphasizing both positive and negative aspects might shift the focus from solely on DGR risks to a more balanced view. Despite the majority of the respondents' support for DGR rather than continued surface storage, they struggled to articulate positive aspects of the solution. These inconsistencies in mental models can be expected to a certain extent, highlighting the complex nature of public risk perception and benefit recognition.

Science often tackles sustainability challenges by not only addressing them (inter-)disciplinary but additionally engaging in societal aspects through transdisciplinary research. Siting a deep-geological repository is a technical and societal challenge. In this study, we present a unique approach that entailed a 4 year collaboration between our research team and a Citizen's Working Group (CWG) on nuclear waste management in Germany. We explored whether and how knowledge could be effectively transferred among researchers and the CWG, as well as how mutual trust could be fostered and maintained. Seventeen ordinary citizens across Germany were selected via a multistep process, including an online survey and interviews. Their contributions provided valuable empirical insights and informed interdisciplinary research questions. We describe this new and challenging process with its multiple methods (surveys, workshops, observations, and interviews) and reflect on our experiences based on a rich set of empirical data. Finally, we discuss the potential for generalization and application of this approach to other topics.

Sustainability often entails dealing with issues of justice in the distribution of goods and bads, such as resources and restrictions. Applications of justice to concrete situations, including what is deserved and entitled, call for specifications of several issues, like the meaning of "deservingness" and "entitlement" and how justice should be accomplished. This is a key aspect for sustainability, as social arrangements that are not experienced as fair may not be long-lived. Conversely, justice may be an empty notion unless it is sustainable. With this in mind, we provide an inventory of factors to analyze the relationship between (un)sustainability and social (in)justice from a social psychological perspective. We (a) clarify the gist of the two subjective notions, (b) discuss their interdependences, (c) provide a list of factors for analyses, and (d) illustrate how they may be applied to two cases, one at a global level (food accessibility) and the other at a local level (distribution of renewable energy resources in communities). The proposed framework forms the basis of empirical analyses of the social dimension of sustainability.

The nexus between urbanisation and energy transition represents a critical juncture in the pursuit of sustainable development. As cities continue to grow and expand, their energy needs rise, driving consumption and emissions. Simultaneously, efforts to transition towards renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency are underway to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, urbanisation poses a challenge to these efforts, as sprawling cities require more energy for transport, infrastructure and buildings. Reconciling the need for urban development with sustainable energy practices requires integrated spatial planning approaches that consider the spatial layout of residential areas, land use patterns and transport systems. To address this nexus, our study explores the complex interplay between energy efficiency and urban development, alongside communities’ quality of life, which is crucial for urban sustainability. We have developed a settlement network model that integrates socio-economic factors and the spatial distribution of energy consumption. Using a U-NSGA 3 algorithm, we have attempted to optimise future settlement network to simultaneously improve the two goals of energy efficiency and socio-economic factors. By optimising settlement networks, we shed light on the relationship between energy efficiency and communities’ quality of life arising from different urban development patterns, offering insights for strategic spatial planning and technological advances. Using insights from a Swiss case study, we delineate modified strategies encompassing coordinated development, densification and the use of electric vehicles and building insulation. The results offer practical solutions for policymakers and spatial planners dedicated to fostering sustainable urban development. The overall conclusion underscores the critical significance of a coordinated approach to urban development in attaining overarching sustainability objectives.

Extreme weather events have severe impacts on food systems, especially for smallholders in global food value chains (GFVCs). There is an urgent need to understand (a) how climate shocks manifest in food systems, and (b) what strategies can enhance food system resilience. Integrating satellite, household and trade data, we investigate the cascading impacts after two consecutive hurricanes on smallholder banana farmers in Dominican Republic, and determinants of their recovery. We found that farmers experienced an ‘all-or-nothing’ pattern of damage, where 75% of flooded farmers lost > 90% of production. Recovery of regional production indicators took ca. 450 days. However, farm-level recovery times were highly variable, with both topographic and human capital factors determining recovery. Utilising this case study, we show that engaging in a GFVC impeded recovery via ‘double exposure’ of production loss and losing market access. Our results suggest that strategies to enhance resilience, with a particular focus on recovery, in GFVCs should promote trader loyalty, facilitate basin-scale collaboration and expand risk-targeted training.

Achieving the United Nation’s 2030 agenda which aims, among other goals, to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, requires a sustainable resource use model deployed at scale across global food systems. A circular bioeconomy (CBE) model of resource use has been proposed to reuse of organic waste in agricultural production to enhance food security. However, despite several initiatives recently introduced towards establishing a CBE in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), minimal scientific efforts have been dedicated to understanding the association of CBE practices and food security. This study use data from 777 smallholder farm households from DRC, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa, to examine associations between three CBE practices (use of organic waste as compost, as livestock feed, and sorting waste) and household food security. Using different regression and propensity score matching models (PSM). Result reveal that using CBE practices more likely adds a 0.203 score of food insecurity access prevalence (HFIAP), 1.283 food insecurity access scale (HFIAS-score) and 0.277 for household dietary diversity score (HDDS) among households using CBE practiced groups. Associations regarding using organic waste as compost are generally positive but insignificant, while those with sorting waste are significantly and consistently negative. Thus, CBE innovations aiming to enhance household food security could prioritize organic waste valorization into livestock feed consider socio economic aspects such as access to land, access to market, education level, using mobile phone, income and city regions where interventions took place. However, prior sorting of waste is necessary to enable effective waste valorization.

Critical thinking is vital in every education system. Digital tools like Large Language Models (LLMs), exemplified by ChatGPT, are part of a new scheme of education; studying its influence on critical thinking (CT) is a rising research field with a need for literature exploring children and diverse populations. This study examines (1) the influence of ChatGPT usage on text-based activities in the CT dimensions of analysis, inference, & explanation in 10-12 years old children and (2) the role of urban-rural educational disparities in its utilization. Employing a two-by-two quasi-experimental design, students from both an urban and a rural school in Mexico participated in sustainable energy literacy activities implemented in the educational social media platform "Graasp." The three session study juxtaposed the open answers using traditional definitions or a tailored chatbot powered by ChatGPT. Pretest-posttest CT and energy literacy were applied. A repeated measured ANOVA uni-dimensional analysis showed significance within subjects of the analysis dimension (p=0.003), indicating a possible influence of ChatGPT throughout the intervention; no significance was found within subjects in the CT integral test. Between subjects, significant results in CT were obtained, showing differences in both educational settings. Both groups demonstrated gains in sustainable energy literacy, as expected; Depth of answers was always favored when urban students used ChatGPT. Rural students had higher depth while using definitions overall, but the depth of the ChatGPT intervention answers increased after the first session, showing interesting results regarding technological adaptation. A strong preference for the chatbot interface was developed, with 95% of students favoring the chatbot by the end of the intervention. Further research is recommended to explore the role of the usage of ChatGPT in critical thinking

. Although the impacts of climate change are increasingly challenging food production efforts around the globe, evidence from past studies suggests that adapting and building food systems' resilience to climate change is not a trivial task. In this study, we adopted a multi-stakeholder perspective by using qualitative and quantitative data to examine the process of building resilience in food value chains against droughts. Through a transdisciplinary process engaging practitioners from different activities of four key Swiss food value chains, we identified measures to build resilience in these value chains and their respective barriers, and determined key stakeholders to facilitate the implementation of the measures. We further complemented the results of the study with a quantitative survey of 832 Swiss farmers aimed at more deeply understanding the barriers from an agricultural perspective. The measures proposed by the practitioners for building resilience in the value chains are primarily focused on production activity and are aimed at avoiding production disruptions and mitigating farmers' economic losses. Although some of these measures (e.g., irrigation, amassing stocks of animal feed) can be implemented by farmers themselves, other measures (e.g., compensation through pricing changes, flexibility in quality requirements) require interventions from other stakeholders, including post-production actors (processors, retailers) and consumers. However, our results indicate that such implementation is hindered by conflicting interests, the uneven exposure of actors to droughts, and a lack of motivation by the actors to act beyond securing their own operational needs. We conclude that a value chain approach based on collaboration is essential for building food system resilience against droughts and that research on motivations to enable such collaborations deserves more attention in resilience design and research.

Within the circular economy framework in Africa, sustainable waste management can contribute to improving the environment and creating green jobs. However, recycling activities are mostly carried out by informal workers, who are often forgotten in discussions about the circular economy. To ensure the development of a socially just circular economy, their voices must be heard and their needs accounted for. This study took place in Rwanda, a circular economy leader in Africa, and explored the experiences of workers engaged in biowaste recycling, with a particular focus on the distinctions between the experiences of female and male workers. We used photovoice as a methodology, allowing waste workers to visually report on the benefits and drawbacks of being involved in biowaste recycling. Seventeen waste recyclers took pictures representing different working experiences, which was followed by individual in-depth interviews to elicit the meaning behind each picture. Data analysis consisted of a reflexive thematic content analysis of interview transcripts and a participatory data analysis with the workers. The results show that the workers valued their jobs for their social relations at work, being responsible for a task, being productive, and generating savings. Workers negatively highlighted the health risks associated with waste sorting, difficult working conditions, and low salaries. We found gendered differences in workers' marital status and access to paid work opportunities. Although working in waste recycling encompasses occupational risks, this photovoice study highlights that access to work improves workers' relative well-being and that this type of circular economy can help create meaningful jobs.

Abstract. The Site Selection Act (StandAG) defines the selection of a repository as a learning process (lernendes Verfahren) in § 1. Learning is also an essential aspect of transdisciplinary (td) research projects – apart from capacity and network building in addition to supporting change. Transdisciplinarity means that different academic disciplines (interdisciplinary) work together with practitioners (e.g. citizens, NGOs and government officials) to integrate the knowledge, interests and values from various sources to solve a real-world problem (Klein et al., 2001). Joint working involves a functional dynamic collaboration of disciplines and societal actors, starting with problem framing (co-design) through problem analysis and exploring the impact at the end (co-production). Learning can take place during all phases of the research process and at all levels (i.e. from the individual to the institution). Moreover, how and what is learnt is specific to the project context, topic (e.g. renewable energy) and coincidence of different knowledge types (system, transformation and target knowledge). The Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab) carries out the accompanying research in TRANSENS. TRANSENS is one of the few td research projects found internationally in the field of nuclear waste management. The TdLab analyses, amongst other things, the learning that stems from participation activities. Therefore, we would like to identify the manifold learning experiences of stakeholder integration during the site selection procedure, on the one hand, and of td research projects, on the other hand. Taking into account the perspectives of citizens, practitioners and scientists, this interactive workshop seeks to accomplish the following (see Fig. 1): make visible the learning areas from participation processes in the “real world” (practice; e.g. site selection process) and under “laboratory conditions” (research projects; e.g. TRANSENS), identify the transferability of learning areas from science to practice (including limitations), determine useful learning areas from research projects for practice, and identify knowledge gaps in the “real world” for research projects in the future. From the interactive workshop, we expect the identification of key learning areas, their specific relevance for nuclear waste management and the identification of topics for future research.

The sustainable livelihoods framework is an analytical tool that allows livelihoods to be conceptualized in a holistic manner. This understanding is an important prerequisite to addressing potential vulnerabilities in people’s livelihoods. However, the framework places relatively little emphasis on people and their agency, although this aspect is central to vulnerability analysis. For example, factors hindering or enabling people’s capabilities to convert potentially available assets into desired livelihood outcomes are not explicitly disclosed in the framework. Instead, they are seen as part of the assets themselves or of site-specific processes and institutions. Accordingly, the framework is of limited use to analyze to what extent a person or group is capable of accessing a particular resource or converting them into a livelihood strategy and determining how power and power relations, as well as locally institutionalized practices and relationships, influence vulnerability. Yet, such analytical why-questions are central to the alignment of interventions that address vulnerability with people’s needs and local realities. Otherwise, there is a risk of remaining at a purely descriptive level. We propose an extension and partial redesign of the framework to better account for such dynamics and to better reflect the complex realities of peoples’ livelihoods. In particular, we propose the “personal realization capability” as a complementary component for analyzing the capability of individuals or households to convert assets into livelihood outcomes. The new component allows for a more person-centered analysis that focuses on people, their social living conditions, and the social structure surrounding them.

The development of data science, the increase of computational power, the availability of the internet infrastructure for data exchange and the urgency for an understanding of complex systems require a responsible and ethical use of computational models in science, communication and decision-making. Starting with a discussion of the width of different purposes of computational models, we first investigate the process of model construction as an interplay of theory and experimentation. We emphasise the different aspects of the tension between model variables and experimentally measurable observables. The resolution of this tension is a prerequisite for the responsible use of models and an instrumental part of using models in the scientific processes. We then discuss the impact of models and the responsibility that results from the fact that models support and may also guide experimentation. Further, we investigate the difference between computational modelling in an interdisciplinary science project and computational models as tools in transdisciplinary decision support. We regard the communication of model structures and modelling results as essential; however, this communication cannot happen in a technical manner, but model structures and modelling results must be translated into a “narrative.” We discuss the role of concepts from disciplines such as literary theory, communication science, and cultural studies and the potential gains that a broader approach can obtain. Considering concepts from the liberal arts, we conclude that there is, besides the responsibility of the model author, also a responsibility of the user/reader of the modelling results.

This Special Focus highlights the potential of transdisciplinary research and learning to confront the complexity of the challenges facing society today. By serving as a bridge between science, practice and society, transdisciplinarity can be a means to help foster collaboration between diverse actors, question existing paradigms of knowledge co-production and build pathways towards transformation.

•By applying multivariate probit combination, sorting organic from inorganic waste and using organic waste as compost had contributed to success in engagement in circular bio economy (CBE) practices in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa.•Sorting waste and using organic waste as livestock feeds contributed to engagement in CBE practices.•Using organic waste as compost and livestock, feed had the lowest likelihood of success in engagement in CBE practices.•CBE innovations intending to achieve circular food systems through promoting combinations of CBE practices among smallholders, stand higher chances to succeed, more so if engaged in sorting waste and using organic waste as compost.•Categorical analysis also gives distinct predictions of what could naturally happen concerning combinations of CBE practices being discretely possible for smallholder households.

This study explores the trade-offs between energy efficiency and socioeconomic welfare in the context of polycentric settlement development, a spatial planning approach that aims to promote sustainable urban development. By focusing on the household energy consumption for heating, cooling, and transportation, which accounts for a significant portion of the national total energy consumption, our goal is to better understand the interplay between energy efficiency, distribution of socioeconomic benefits, and settlement development patterns. Using a holistic system modelling approach, we evaluate the suitability of a polycentric settlement development as a strategy for balancing energy efficiency and meeting people's expectations of their neighbourhoods, using Switzerland as an example. We have examined the changes in trade-offs under some innovation and technology change scenarios that are expected to transform urbanisation and energy consumption by 2040. Our results highlight the conflicting goals between social welfare and energy efficiency in urbanising settlement areas and propose a modified coordinated polycentric settlement development strategy for efficient and equitable planning outcomes. This research provides valuable insights for policy makers, urban planners, and researchers seeking to balance energy efficiency and socioeconomic well-being through spatial planning.

Abstract. In reviews, the content of a scientific or science-based document is assessed by invited experts. Classical peer reviews are carried out by experts who belong to the same specialist community as the experts whose work is being reviewed. Performing peer reviews is an essential element of the publishing process for articles in scientific journals. This established practice aims at ensuring scientific quality and at fostering scientific discourse. Reviews can also be carried out on a science-based safety case. International experience already exists with peer reviews of safety cases. Such peer reviews can be initiated by the implementer, the regulator, or political bodies that issue a mandate to invited experts. The aim of a peer review is to examine and, if necessary, improve the quality of a safety case, which can also strengthen the credibility of the safety case in the eyes of various actors, including practitioners in waste management and scientists, but also the interested public. Classical peer reviews have long been viewed critically in academic science. In view of complex issues, pluralistic values, and unpredictable developments, it is argued that it is appropriate to involve non-scientific peers in the review of documents on socially relevant issues. This gave rise to the idea of “extended peer-reviews” (Funtowicz and Ravetz, 1993), or, more precisely, reviews in an extended peer community, which can also be applied to reviews of safety cases. In the research project TRANSENS (Transdisciplinary research on the management of high-level radioactive waste in Germany), such extended peer reviews are placed in the context of transdisciplinary methods and tools. Our research indicates that extending the concept of peer reviews by involving various types of actors and using transdisciplinary methods and tools, so-called Td reviews, has the potential to improve the quality, legitimacy, and acceptance of a safety case and is suitable for contributing to a participatory, science-based, transparent, self-questioning, and learning site-selection procedure in the sense of the Site Selection Act (Eckhardt et al., 2023). Resilient safety is based on the ability to adapt to and recover from damaging impacts. The socio-technical system of radioactive waste management should be able to quickly return to a safe state in the event of a disruption. With Td reviews, further bodies of knowledge are introduced into the safety case, different perceptions and values, and an external perspective, which is not biased in the same way as that of peers in the classical and narrower senses. Thus, the quality, legitimacy, and acceptance of the safety case can be strengthened, and Td reviews are expected to have a positive impact on the resilience of the safety case and on the repository planning and optimization associated with the safety case (Eckhardt et al., 2023). So far, the systematic implementation of peer reviews has not been legally anchored in Germany, and experience with such processes is limited (Röhlig and Sträter, 2022). Therefore, there is a good chance at present of involving – initially on an experimental basis – not only peers, but also an extended peer community in the review of upcoming safety cases.

Today, most African countries have dysfunctional municipal waste management system, negatively impacting the environment and human health. However, as most of this waste is recyclable, informal actors are making their income out of the collection/sorting of waste. Accounting for the risks involved in waste manipulation, it is important to ensure decent working conditions for those recycling it. This study focuses on biowaste recycling in Rwanda, a Circular Economy leader in Africa, with the purpose of: (i) characterizing the working conditions of waste recyclers along the definition of ‘decent work’ and (ii) assessing workers’ satisfaction and its determinants. We surveyed 63 workers employed in three compost production and three biowaste processing companies. Our results show that the work can be considered relatively decent compared to national references, except for insufficient social protections and occupational safety. Workers reported being rather satisfied with their jobs, although our analyses of covariance showed that workers employed in composting were significantly less satisfied than the others. These findings highlight the importance of household-level waste separation for improving not only worker safety, but also nutrient recovery. Further research should investigate how to push forward waste sorting at the household level and improve worker safety (SDG 8) without negatively affecting the women currently employed in waste sorting at the company level (SDG 5).

Increasing global food insecurity amidst a growing population and diminishing production resources renders the currently dominant linear production model insufficient to combat such challenges. Hence, a circular bioeconomy (CBE) model that ensures more conservative use of resources has become essential. Specifically, a CBE model that focuses on recycling and reusing organic waste is essential to close nutrient loops and establish more resilient rural-urban nexus food systems. However, the CBE status quo in many African food systems is not established. Moreover, scientific evidence on CBE in Africa is almost inexistent, thus limiting policy guidance to achieving circular food systems. Using a sample of about 2,100 farmers and consumers from key food value chains (cassava in Rwanda, coffee in DRC, and bananas in Ethiopia), we explored existing CBE practices; awareness, knowledge, and support for CBE practices; consumers’ opinions on eating foods grown on processed organic waste (CBE fertilizers), and determinants of such opinions. We analysed data in Stata, first descriptively, and then econometrically using the ordered logistic regression, whose proportional odds assumption was violated, thus resorting to the generalized ordered logistic regression. Results show that communities practice aspects of CBE, mainly composting, and are broadly aware, knowledgeable, supportive of CBE practices, and would broadly accept eating foods grown CBE fertilizers. Households with heads that used mobile phones, or whose heads were older, or married, or had a better education and agricultural incomes were more likely to strongly agree that they were knowledgeable and supportive of CBE practices and would eat CBE foods (foods grown on processed organic waste). However, the reverse was true for households that were severely food insecure or lived farther from towns. Rwandan and Ethiopian households compared to DRC were less likely to eat CB foods. Policies to stimulate CBE investments in all three countries were largely absent, and quality scientific evidence to guide their development and implementation is currently insufficient.