Residential water demand management: Provision of benefits and impacts on circularity at the example of the city of Hamburg
Author
Berkel, Patrick
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-06-02
Pages
80
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan styring af vandefterspørgslen i husholdninger (tiltag, der hjælper folk med at bruge mindre vand) kan gavne Hamborg og gøre byens vandsystem mere cirkulært, dvs. bedre til at udnytte ressourcer og lukke kredsløb. Baggrunden er klimaforandringer, befolkningstilvækst og en lille stigning i vandforbruget per indbygger, som skaber pres på Hamborgs vandsektor. Afhandlingen er et casestudie af Hamborg og bygger på en litteraturgennemgang og semistrukturerede interviews. Teoretisk tager den afsæt i cirkulær vandøkonomi (hvordan vand og materialer holdes i kredsløb) og omstillingsteori (hvordan systemer ændrer sig over tid). Det har ikke været muligt at fastslå præcist, hvor meget sådanne tiltag øger cirkulariteten eller hvilke konkrete gevinster de giver. Alligevel peger afhandlingen på en række mulige fordele for Hamborg: lavere klimapåvirkning, større klimaresiliens, øget forsyningssikkerhed og mulighed for at udskyde eller undgå at bygge ny infrastruktur for at møde stigende efterspørgsel. Tiltagene kan også udfylde et identificeret hul i vandsektoren, hvor der mangler fokus på at undgå og reducere forbrug, og dermed være vigtige for at øge cirkulariteten. Samtidig findes der barrierer: en sti-afhængighed mellem rørinfrastrukturen og et nødvendigt minimumsforbrug, samt et dominerende, udbudsorienteret tankesæt i vandforsyningen, der undervurderer fordelene ved at reducere forbruget. Desuden forstås cirkulær vandøkonomi ofte primært som genvinding af materialer og genanvendelse af vand, frem for også at omfatte efterspørgselsreduktion. Afhandlingen argumenterer derfor for et tankesætsskifte, der anerkender værdien af efterspørgselsstyring i husholdninger som en del af cirkularitet og ser de fulde gevinster ved sådanne tiltag.
This thesis examines how residential water demand management—policies and tools that help households use less water—could benefit Hamburg and make the city’s water system more circular, meaning resources are used more efficiently and loops are closed. The context is climate change, population growth, and a slight rise in per-capita water use, all of which increase pressure on Hamburg’s water sector. Using a case study of Hamburg, the study draws on a literature review and semi-structured interviews. The theoretical lens combines the circular water economy (keeping water and materials in use) and transition theory (how systems change over time). The study could not determine exactly how much such measures would increase circularity or quantify their benefits. However, it identifies several potential advantages for Hamburg: lower climate impact, greater climate resilience, improved security of supply, and the possibility of avoiding or delaying new infrastructure to meet rising demand. These measures could also fill a gap in the current portfolio, which lacks actions to avoid and reduce consumption, and thereby help increase circularity. At the same time, there are constraints: path dependence between the pipe network and a needed minimum level of consumption, and a prevailing supply-oriented mindset in the utility that overlooks the benefits of using less water. Likewise, the circular water economy is often seen mainly as recovering materials and recycling water, rather than also reducing demand. The thesis therefore argues for a mindset shift that recognizes the value of household demand-side measures for circularity and considers their full range of benefits.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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