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FROM CIRCULAR TO REGENERATIVE: SHAPING ECONOMIES THAT REDUCE CO2 AND CREATE VALUE
Abstract
Environmental discourse has moved from -green- to -sustainable- to -circular.- The emerging paradigm is the regenerative economy, which goes beyond minimizing damage to actively improving ecosystems and communities. This perspective draws on long-standing work in ecological economics, systems ecology, and innovation theory without relying on specific frameworks in this abstract. It stresses that natural resources may be finite, yet the possibilities created by knowledge, technology, and institutional evolution are effectively unbounded. Historical trends consistently show that scarcity stimulates creativity, and technological progress repeatedly expands what societies can achieve. Reducing CO2 is not only compatible with economic growth; it can be a driver of it, through innovation, better design, and improved information flows. The CROSS-REIS project, funded by Horizon Europe, contributes to this agenda by strengthening research capacity and innovation ecosystems relevant to regenerative practices across sectors. By combining engineering judgment, digital tools, and entrepreneurial initiative, regenerative economics reframes climate challenges as opportunities for value creation and for improving human wellbeing.
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