What is the importance of social impact and how is it assessed with the SROI method—name the principles and describe the process of employing the method.
SROI (Social Return on Investment) Method:
Measures social, environmental, and economic outcomes
Assigns monetary value to social impacts
Calculates ratio of benefits to costs
Principles:
Stakeholder involvement
Understanding change
Valuing what matters
Including material impacts
Avoiding over-claiming
Transparency
Independent verification
Process:
Define scope
Map outcomes
Evidence outcomes
Establish impact
Calculate SROI ratio
How can startup solutions contribute to sustainable development by incorporating circular economy principles? Reflect on "the R's"
Circular Economy R's:
Rethink: Design for sustainability
Refuse: Avoid unsustainable materials
Reuse: Extended product life
Repair: Maintainable design
Recover: Resource reclamation
Rot: Biodegradable materials
Recycle: Material reprocessing
Describe the concept of Green Growth according to Ehrlich & Holdren. Illustrate the function with an example.
Ehrlich & Holdren Formula: I = P × A × T
I: Environmental Impact
P: Population
A: Affluence (consumption per capita)
T: Technology factor
Example: CO2 emissions = Population × GDP/person × CO2/GDP
What are the common critiques of Green Growth as a concept to reduce ecological impacts according to Jänicke?
Jänicke's Critiques:
Rebound effects negate efficiency gains
Growth often outpaces efficiency improvements
Absolute decoupling rarely achieved
Market mechanisms insufficient
Technological solutions have limits
What is Jevons Paradox: explain in relation to elastic and inelastic demand.
Jevons Paradox:
Efficiency improvements increase resource consumption
Applies to elastic demand where lower costs drive higher usage
Less relevant for inelastic demand
Examples: fuel efficiency leading to more driving
Hard to avoid due to price-demand relationship
Last changed24 days ago