Iva Tolić

One of the biggest threats to today’s society is climate change – the result of an increase in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gas­es (GHG), produced by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy production, transport and industrial processes. One of the larg­est GHG emissions sources is agriculture, but also a whole food system. This paper aims to analyse people’s awareness of the food system’s impact on climate change and if they are familiar with mentioned mitigation oppor­tunities. The research on people’s awareness of the impact of the food sys­tem on climate change was conducted among three groups of respondents – chefs, teachers and lecturers and students. The research showed that al­though people are aware that climate change is a serious problem, they are unaware of how it occurs and that the food that is produced, stored, trans­ported, prepared and finally consumed affects climate change.

The bioeconomy is an innovative economy with low CO₂ emissions (...), ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and fisheries, food security and the sustainable industrial use of renewable biological resources (biomass) while protecting biodiversity and the environment. Although the bioeconomy has existed since the pre-industrial revolution, introducing the bioeconomy into political and strategic frameworks at the national and international levels is a relatively new concept and therefore subject to change and constant improvement. The bioeconomy substantially impacts global development and environmental challenges, with the most affected sectors being agriculture, health, and industry. Nevertheless, directly or indirectly, the principles of bioeconomy significantly affect other sectors and areas of social development. The bioeconomy can be linear and circular. The linear bioeconomy is based on the agriculture and forestry sectors used to obtain biomass. The circular bioeconomy is based on biorefineries and is characterised by the reuse and recycling of products. The lack of a clear and homogeneous definition of the sectors included in the bioeconomy makes it impossible to compare or analyse the overall contribution of the bioeconomy to the global economy. However, specific data available at the level of the EU, the United States, Asia, Africa, and Russia point to the growing importance of the bioeconomy at the national level.

This book demonstrates that a holistic approach to the bioeconomy is essential if it is to achieve its full potential in driving economic growth while simultaneously providing ecological, social and technological benefits. Definitions of the ‘bioeconomy’ vary but in general it incorporates the ways in which societies manage and distribute their primary or secondary biological resources for further use in everyday life (e.g. food, materials, and energy). The classical sectors related to the bioeconomy have therefore been agriculture, forestry and aquaculture, now extended to include bioenergy, biofuels, biochemicals, and other processing and service industries. There are also related new concepts such us the blue economy, the green economy, and the circular economy. This book integrates these definitions, sectoral analyses and new concepts into a fully rounded study of the bioeconomy. It is argued that the key aims in the coming years have to be the harmonization of public policies between different sectors, regulation of legislative framework for the bioeconomy, and clear communication of these issues. In particular, the book argues that a strengthening of the monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of the bioeconomy on society is an essential starting point. For this to be effective, appropriate indicators need to be established and defined for the monitoring of the effects of these resilient policies related to bioeconomy and their impact on local and regional development and quality of life. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the bioeconomy including students and scholars of ecological economics, environmental economics, sustainability, innovation, and regional development.