Research Interest

Barry Ness is a Ph. D. researcher at LUCSUS and is the first to receive a doctoral degree in sustainability science. He also holds a Master’s degree from Lund in environmental studies and sustainability science (LUMES) and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota.

His research interests are diverse but focus significantly on understanding the variety of tools that exist for sustainability assessment, conceptualizing complex problems of sustainability based on scale and cross-scale interactions, and quantitative environmental and sustainability assessment. The majority of Barry’s recent research has focused on the assessment of industrial agricultural systems for food bioenergy along with other past research concentrating on municipal solid waste treatment and waste water purification systems. Barry was born and raised in the United States, but has lived in Southern Sweden for the past decade.

December 12, 2008, Barry Ness defended his thesis  “Sustainability of the Swedish sugar sector. Assessment tool development and case study appraisal” and became the first PhD in Sustainability Science at Lund University.
Abstract »

Read more about his thesis at Lund University website (in Swedish) »

Publications

Yarime, M., Trencher, G., Mino. T., Scholz, R., Olsson, L., Ness, B., Frantzeskaki, N., Rotmans, J. (accepted) Establishing sustainability science in higher education institutions: towards an integration of academic development, institutionalization, and collaborations with stakeholders. Sustainability Science.

Ness, B., Anderberg, S. (2011) Research and Development Financing for Sustainable Development: Case Study Sweden. EU FP7 Vision RD4SD Project. http://www.visionrd4sd.eu/top-about-vision-rd4sd/country-and-regional-studies

Wiek, A., Ness, B., Schweizer-Ries, P.,  Brand, F. S., Farioli, F. (2012) From complex systems thinking to transformational change: A comparative study on the epistemological and methodological challenges in sustainability science projects. Sustainability Science. Online First.

Ness, B. (2011) An Intergrated Sustainability Assessment of the Swedish Sugar Production System from a Life-Cycle Perspective: 2003-2015. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems 9(1), 23-38, http://www.indecs.eu/2011/indecs_9_1.pdf

Jerneck, A,.Olsson, L., Ness, B., Anderberg, S. et al. (2011) Structuring Sustainability Science. Sustainability Science 6, 69–82.

Mandere N., Ness, B., & Anderberg, S. (2010) Peri-urban Development, Livelihood Change and Household Income: A Case Study of Nyahururu, Kenya. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development 2(5) 73-83.

Ness, B., Anderberg, S. & Olsson, L. (2010) Structuring Problems in Sustainability Science: The Multilevel DPSIR Framework. Geoforum. 41 (3): 479-488.

Ness, B., Brogaard, S., Anderberg, S. & Olsson, L. (2009) The African Land-Grab: Creating Equitable Governance Strategies through Codes-of-Conduct and Certification Schemes. Presented at the Earth System Governance Conference in Amsterdam, December 2, 2009. http://www.earthsystemgovernance.org/ac2009/?page=papers 

Ness, B. (2009) Sustainability of the Swedish Sugar Sector: Assessment Tool Development and Case Study Appraisal. Saarbrucken: VDM Verlag

Ness, B. and Brogaard, S.(2008) An environmental assessment of sugar beet transport in southern Sweden using GIS proximity analysis. Area 40 (4): 459-471.

Yengoh, G.T., Ness, B., Anderberg. S. & Olsson, L. (2009) Understanding Interactions in the Global Agricultural Commodity System (Scoping Report) 54 pp.

Yengoh, G.T., Ness, B., Anderberg. S. & Olsson, L. (2009) Simulating Global Food Production and Consumption Trends – Model Description.  6 pp.

Yengoh, G.T., Anderberg. S., Ness, B. & Olsson, L. (2009) Global Cereal Production Forecasts and Land Use Requirements. 16 pp.

Ness, B. (2008) Sustainability of the Swedish sugar sector: Assessment tool development and case study appraisal. Ph. D. thesis. Lund Dissertations in Sustainability Science No. 1. Lund University, Sweden.

Ness, B., Urbel-Piirsalu, E., Anderberg, S. & Olsson, L. (2007) Categorising Tools for Assessing Sustainability. Ecological Economics 60 (3): 498-508.

Ness, B. (2007) Book Review: Managing Urban Futures: Sustainability and Urban Growth in Developing Countries. European Planning Studies 15 (1): 167-168.

Contributor (2006) EPSD Report No. 3 - Towards a “Smart Growth” Strategy for Sustainable Development (Final version) European Panel on Sustainable Development
http://www.miljo.chalmers.se/epsd/epsd_final_webb.pdf

Rosenqvist, H. & Ness, B. (2004) An Economic Analysis of Landfill Leachate Purification Through Willow Coppice Vegetation Filters. Bioresource Technology  94: 321-329.

Ness, B. & Bramryd, T. (2002) Closing Waste Loops: An Economic Comparison of Waste Treatment Systems in Sweden.  Sardinia Conference Proceedings. 8th International Waste Symposium, Cagliary, Italy. Oct. 2001.

Ness, B. (2001) What are the Alternatives to Landfills? A Perspective from Sweden. ISWA Times (International Solid Waste Association) 2: 13-16.

Manuscripts:

Bocz Ängelkott G., Rodriquez, A, Ness, B. (draft) Sustainable Tourism Related Re-utilization of Agricultural Buildings: A Case Study.