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- Typology of pathways for decarbonization [Resumo]Publication . Bento, Nuno; Alves, Tiago; Ribeiro, Ricardo; Fontes, MargaridaABSTRACT: Addressing the urgent climate change requires a clear knowledge of the options available, as well as an understanding of the possible strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Identifying realistic pathways for decarbonization is crucial to inform agents’ decisions about the relevant measures (Turnheim & Nykvist, 2018), with unawareness of these pathways often delaying climate action (Bergek et al, 2023). This paper seeks to identify, categorize, and analyze decarbonization pathways from the scientific literature, uncovering cross-cutting dimensions, interconnections, and regional trends for enhanced decision-making and accelerated change.
- Transformative mechanisms in decarbonization policies: a structured approachPublication . Sousa, Cristina; Fontes, Margarida; Bento, NunoABSTRACT: The transition to a low-carbon society should accelerate to avoid an increase in the temperatures above 1.5º to 2ºC, and this is unlikely to occur without policy intervention (IPCC, 2022). Given the complexity of the problem, recent debates have increasingly pointed to the need of adopting a new, broader view on policy intervention (Weber and Rohracher, 2012; Hekkert et al., 2020). This entails a move beyond a single focus on economic competitiveness and growth and towards a focus on societal problems or “grand challenges”, leading to the emergence of the concept of transformative innovation policy (Schot and Steinmueller 2018; Dierks et al., 2019). This new rationale implies the consideration of a much broader range of policy objectives, targets and instruments, as well as the notion that a mix of policies needs to be deployed to achieve the desired goals (Rogge and Reichardt, 2016).
- Transformative business models for decarbonization: The case of Web Summit award-winning start-upsPublication . Costa, Evaldo; Bento, Nuno; Fontes, MargaridaABSTRACT: The social demand for decarbonization has placed increasing pressure on businesses to contribute actively to mitigate the risks of a climate disruption resulting from carbon emissions. The development of new business models capable of transforming conventional systems of production and consumption and replacing them with more sustainable alternatives is one critical step towards this goal. This study combines several streams of literature including sustainability transitions and business model theories to investigate the key elements of the business models that have the potential to transform the provision of goods and services in a way that enables the transition to a low carbon society. We investigate the start-ups and relate to the extent to which they avoid, shift or improve the production or consumption of goods and services in a way that significantly reduces carbon emissions. For that, we analyze the start-ups that received innovation awards on the Web of Summit between 2014-2020.
- Challenges and opportunities of decarbonization for the economic recovery post-pandemic: The question of directionality in innovation policiesPublication . Bento, Nuno; Fontes, Margarida; Barbosa, Juliana; Mamede, Ricardo PaesABSTRACT: Countries face a double challenge of unprecedented scale consisting in drastically reducing carbon emissions in the time of a generation, while recovering the economy from the worst pandemic crisis in a century. Innovation is key in the response to this double challenge. Innovation policies are increasingly directed at achieving both goals, as governments seek opportunities for transforming the economic structure along with decarbonization. We raise the question of the effect of the direction in the success of the policies for the sustainability transition to achieve the economic transformation. We start by analyzing the processes of change in the economic structure. We identify three possible strategies of transformation: decarbonization, dematerialization and digitalization. Then we compare the evolution of the economic complexity of Portugal, which aspires to transform its economy, with that of three countries that are respectively reference in each one of the three strategies: Denmark, The Netherlands, and Ireland. Successful strategies evidence specialization in products that involve extensive and sophisticated knowledge, produced with high connectivity to other activities and with low carbon footprint. Based on these results and informed by the theory, we propose a set of conditions—related to the promotion of connectivity to growing sectors, high social return technologies and variety—that need to be aligned in the direction of the policies in order to increase their potential for transformative change.
- Technological innovations in decarbonisation strategies: a text-mining approach to technological readiness and potentialPublication . Costa, Paulo Moisés; Duarte, António; Tomé, Paulo; Bento, Nuno; Fontes, MargaridaABSTRACT: This study presents a novel, multifaceted approach to evaluating decarbonisation technologies by integrating advanced text-mining tools with comprehensive data analysis. The analysis of scientific documents (2011-2021) and mapping 368 technologies from the IEA's Energy Technology Perspectives identified 41 technology domains, including 20 with the highest relevance and occurrence. Domain readiness was assessed using mean Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and linked to six decarbonisation pathways. The "Electrification of uses" pathway ranked highest, demonstrating significant CO2 mitigation potential and high readiness (mean TRL 7.4, with two-thirds of technologies scoring over 7) despite challenges in hard-to-electrify sectors. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, highlighting the need for pathway-specific strategies, a deeper understanding of synergies between pathways, and balancing innovation with deployment to accelerate decarbonisation.
- Climate Policies in Decarbonization Strategies: A computational approachPublication . Fontes, Margarida; Alves, Tiago; Bento, NunoABSTRACT: The transition to a low-carbon society should accelerate to avoid an increase in the temperatures above 1.5º to 2ºC, and this is unlikely to occur without policy intervention (IPCC, 2022). Given the complexity of the problem to be addressed, recent debates have increasingly pointed to the need of adopting a broader view on policy intervention (Weber and Rohracher, 2012; Hekkert et al., 2020). This entails a move beyond a single focus on economic competitiveness and growth, towards a focus on societal problems or “grand challenges”, leading to the emergence of the concept of transformative innovation policy (Schot and Steinmueller 2018; Dierks et al, 2019). This new rationale implies the consideration of a much broader range of policy objectives, targets and instruments, as well as the notion that a mix of policies needs to be deployed to achieve the desired goals (Rogge and Reichardt 2016). While this policy rationale has started to enter innovation policy agendas, it remains to be seen to what extent it is reflected in the actual policies being implemented (Casula, 2022; Peñasco et al., 2021). On the other hand, it is also unclear whether the directions set by those policies align with the visions and strategies for decarbonization and whether there are still uncovered areas.
- Transformative business models for decarbonization: the case of Web Summit award-winning start-upsPublication . Costa, Evaldo; Fontes, Margarida; Bento, Nuno; Academic Conferences International LimitedABSTRACT: The social demand for decarbonization has placed increasing pressure on businesses to climate mitigation. The development of new business models capable of transforming conventional systems of production and consumption and replacing them with more sustainable alternatives is one critical step towards this goal. This study combines several streams of literature including sustainability transitions and business model narratives to investigate the key-elements of the business models that have the potential to transform the supply of goods and services in a way that enables the transition to a low-carbon society. We investigate the organizational arrangements in the business activities of start-ups and relate to the extent to which they avoid, shift, or improve the production and consumption of goods and services in a way that significantly reduces carbon emissions. To do this, we analyzed start-ups that received innovation awards and were on the list of finalist’s candidates of the Web of Summit between 2014-2020. The results suggest that start-ups may be in the process of transforming their business models (BM), since a growing trend of transformative projects that adopt integrated business models was identified, e.g., business-to-business-to-commerce (B2B2C), instead of the familiar business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) models. The findings also highlighted the role of Industry 4.0, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), together with other sustainable elements, as crucial to shortening the gap between design and consumption, leveraging innovative solutions, and transforming the model of business, from start-up. This research emphasizes the importance of transformative business models in the context of decarbonization and contributes to filling a gap in the literature on the elements that drive this transformation. The research is also relevant for policymakers aiming to promote a low-carbon economy by highlighting the levers that can be used to promote transformative pathways through business models.
- How innovations lead to structural change: Elements for a theory of system transformationPublication . Bento, Nuno; Fontes, Margarida; Costa, EvaldoABSTRACT: Accelerating decarbonization to limit global warming to 1.5ºC requires a deep change in the provision and consumption of essential services such as mobility, thermal comfort or substance. It involves the dissemination of several social, technological and institutional innovations across multiple sectors. This contrasts with the traditional perspective in the literature that focuses on specific innovations in a single sector (e.g., solar PV in electricity generation). This research examines the conditions and processes that enable system transformation, here defined as a structural change which have wide social and economic impacts on several sectors (energy, transport, building, industry, food). Building on theories and concepts from economics, innovation and technological change, and sustainability transitions, four main conditions for system transformation emerge: technology; business model; social acceptance; institutions. These conditions underpin processes of system transformation that can be led by demand, supply or coordination. The analysis of two empirical examples (digital convergence and sharing economy) illustrates the explanatory power of this framework and offers insights for improving both the theory and the strategies for deep decarbonization.
- Transformative Business Models for Decarbonization: Insights from Prize-Winning Start-Ups at the Web SummitPublication . Costa, Evaldo; Fontes, Margarida; Bento, NunoABSTRACT: The increasing social pressure for decarbonization has placed businesses under considerable scrutiny to actively reduce carbon emissions. A critical step towards achieving this objective is to shift conventional production and consumption systems to more sustainable alternatives. Thus, there is an emergent need to understand the patterns and drivers of the transformative business models (BMs) that underpin that shift. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach that integrates different literature streams—including Sustainability Transitions Theory (STT), Strategic Niche Management (SNM), and the Business Models approach—and stakeholders’ interviews to investigate the key elements of business models that lead towards sustainable practices. This research examines the organizational arrangements of European start-ups operating between 2014 and 2020. The transformation towards decarbonized production and consumption is characterized by an efficient combination of business strategies that incorporate advanced technologies (ATs), such as artificial intelligence(AI), machine learning (ML) and its algorithms, along with sustainable elements, resulting in transformative business models. By exploring the driving elements behind the transition to low-carbon approaches, this study fills a significant gap in the existing literature on business models. The findings from this research also hold relevance for policymakers to promote decarbonization.