What Can We Do? Participatory Foresight for the Bioeconomy Transition

Abstract

Several future scenarios were developed and illustrate how differently the bioeconomy can be shaped. The contribution of individual consumption and lifestyles is highlighted. None of the scenarios describe a bioeconomy that was perceived exclusively positive by the involved people. In each of the elaborated scenario, there are also assumptions that were critically and controversially discussed. It became clear that the individual assessments differ considerably on how desirable the presented pictures of the future are. The bioeconomy is therefore not a solution to all problems, and not to the same extent for all people.

Why do we want a bioeconomy? The future scenarios show that a sustainable bioeconomy will require changes in many different subfields of society at the same time. Individual developments need to be critically examined, but also the interplay of different elements needs to be assessed in terms of their impact on specific aspects of sustainability.

The alternative futures of the bioeconomy assist to become aware of the effects on our everyday life and to initiate a discourse that, on the one hand, supports a conscious examination of critical points and, on the other hand, addresses the plurality of needs.