Bioeconomy And Global Inequalities: Socio-Ecological Perspectives On Biomass Sourcing And Production

Acknowledgements......Page 5
 Contents......Page 7
 Notes on Contributors......Page 10
 List of Figures......Page 14
Part I Introduction......Page 16
1 Contextualizing the Bioeconomy in an Unequal World: Biomass Sourcing and Global Socio-Ecological Inequalities......Page 17
1.1 Rethinking the Bioeconomy, Energy, and Value Production......Page 23
1.2 Bioeconomy Policies and Agendas in Different Countries......Page 25
1.3 Reconfigurations and Continuities of Socio-Ecological Inequalities in Rural Areas......Page 27
1.4 The Extractive Side of Global Biomass Sourcing......Page 29
1.5 Outlook......Page 30
References......Page 32
Part II Rethinking the Bioeconomy, Energy, and Value Production......Page 37
2.1 Introduction......Page 38
2.2 Bioeconomy and the Critique of This New Form of Ecological Modernisation......Page 40
2.3 Critical Perspectives on Unequal Global Knowledge Production......Page 42
2.4 The Continued Global Division of Labour in Knowledge Production......Page 46
2.5 Extractive Knowledge Production in Brazil......Page 48
2.6 Conclusion......Page 52
References......Page 53
3.1 Introduction......Page 58
3.2.1 What Is Neoliberalism?......Page 60
3.2.2 Neoliberalizing Nature......Page 62
3.3 Neoliberal Bioeconomy? Co-constructing Markets and Natures......Page 65
3.3.1 Market Development Policies for the Bioeconomy......Page 66
3.3.2 Co-construction of Markets and Natures in the Bioeconomy......Page 69
3.4 Conclusion......Page 71
References......Page 72
4.1 Introduction......Page 78
4.2 From Biotech to Native Traits......Page 81
4.3 Patenting Native Traits: Shifts in the Legal Landscape in Europe......Page 82
4.4 Tools of Extraction?......Page 84
4.5 Using by not Using: Traditional Breeders and Native Trait Patents......Page 86
4.6 Speculation, Not Innovation? Patents as Credit and Capital......Page 88
4.7 Conclusion: Patents in the Bioeconomy......Page 92
References......Page 93
5.1 Introduction......Page 98
5.2 Thermodynamic Energy as Politics......Page 99
5.3 Bioenergy as Thermodynamic Energy: Deepening the Contradictions......Page 110
References......Page 113
Part III Bioeconomy Policies and Agendas in Different Countries......Page 117
6.1 Introduction: Bioenergy’s Uncertain Prospects......Page 118
6.2 Approaching Bioenergy: Epistemics and Justice......Page 121
6.3.1 The Socio-Energy Nexus in Germany’s Transition Towards Renewable Energies......Page 124
6.3.2 Bioenergy Epistemics: Funding of Knowledge Production and Narratives......Page 126
6.3.3 Bioenergy Justice: R&I Innovations and Societal Participation......Page 129
6.4 Conclusion......Page 132
References......Page 133
7.1 Introduction......Page 141
7.2 Finnish Bioeconomy as a Forest Policy Regime......Page 144
7.3 A Twofold Threat to the Regime: Carbon Sinks and EU Regulation......Page 147
7.4 The Regime Under Shock......Page 149
7.5 The Battle in the EU......Page 151
7.6 Stabilising the Regime......Page 153
7.7 Conclusion......Page 155
References......Page 156
8.1 Introduction......Page 160
8.2 The Analytical Framework......Page 162
8.3 The Landscape: The Meta-Discourses of Bioeconomy and Energy Transition......Page 163
8.4 An Emerging Renewable Electricity Regime......Page 166
8.5 Is There a Niche for Sugar-Cane Bioelectricity?......Page 169
8.6 Conclusions......Page 174
References......Page 175
Part IV Reconfigurations and Continuities of Social-ecological Inequalities in Rural Areas......Page 181
9.1 Introduction......Page 182
9.2 Moving Beyond Working Conditions: Theoretical Remarks......Page 184
9.3 Women “Coolies”, Nyai, and the (Re-)Production of a Plantation Labour Subject......Page 185
9.4 Working Conditions of Female Labour on Oil Palm Plantations in Riau......Page 189
9.5 Cheap and Disciplined Labour as a Key Feature of Labour Relations on Oil Palm Plantations......Page 193
References......Page 196
10.1 Introduction: Bioeconomy as Green Capitalism......Page 201
10.2 Analysing Social Inequalities as Class Relations......Page 204
10.3 Migratory Work in Malaysia: The State’s Labour Migration Regime......Page 206
10.4 Working Conditions of Migrant Plantation and Mill Workers......Page 208
10.4.1 Un(der)Paid, Underemployed and Undocumented......Page 209
10.4.2 Struggling to Reproduce Livelihoods......Page 212
10.4.3 Barriers to Workers’ Struggle......Page 214
10.5 Conclusion: Bioeconomy as a Continuation of Superexploitation?......Page 215
References......Page 217
11.1 The Interrelations of Bioeconomy, Brazilian Sugarcane and Social Inequalities......Page 222
11.2.2 Labour Regimes as Combining Access to Labour and Land......Page 224
11.3 The Brazilian Sugarcane Sector and Its Recent Changes......Page 226
11.4 The Impact of the Expansion of the Sugarcane Industry on Access to Labour and Land......Page 228
11.4.1 Wage Work: Mechanisation, Employment Creation and Unemployment......Page 229
11.4.2 Subsistence Work: Land Prices and Access to Land......Page 233
11.5 Discussion and Outlook: Labour Regimes in Sugarcane Industry Expansion......Page 235
References......Page 239
12.1 Introduction......Page 244
12.2 Theoretical and Methodological Framework......Page 246
12.3 Agrofuels Production in Argentina......Page 247
12.4 Territorial Changes Due to Agribusiness in North-Western Argentina......Page 252
12.5 Biodiesel and the Impacts of Agroindustry in Santiago Del Estero......Page 255
12.6 Conclusions......Page 259
References......Page 261
Part V The Extractive Side of the Global Biomass Sourcing......Page 267
13.1 Introduction: Bioeconomy and South-South Inequalities......Page 268
13.2 South-South Cooperation and Energy Consumption......Page 270
13.3 Going Global? Brazil Pushes for a “Low-Carbon” Bioeconomy......Page 272
13.4 Carbon-Intensive: Sino-Brazilian Trade from a Bioeconomy Perspective......Page 276
13.5 Conclusion......Page 283
References......Page 285
14.1 European Bioeconomy—Global Biomass Sourcing?......Page 289
14.2 The Capitalist World System, Extractivism and Extractive Relations......Page 292
14.3 Biomass Flows and the EU-Economy Today......Page 295
14.4 Projections for a European Bioeconomy......Page 300
14.5 Questioning the Transnational Sustainability in the European Bioeconomy......Page 304
References......Page 306
15.1 Introduction: Argentina as a Bioeconomy Pioneer......Page 310
15.2 Agrarian Extractivism as a Tool for Analysing Argentina’s Bioeconomy......Page 312
15.3 The Expansion of Soybean as Agrarian Extractivism in Argentina......Page 316
15.4.1 Biotechnology, Fertilizers, Pesticides and no-till Farming as a Key Basis of Bioeconomy......Page 318
15.4.2 Agro-Industrialization and “Adding Value” as a Key Goal Within Bioeconomy......Page 320
15.4.3 On Sustainable Innovations and Counter-Tendencies to Agrarian Extractivism......Page 323
15.5 Conclusion: Towards an Extractive Bioeconomy?......Page 325
References......Page 327
 Index......Page 332